


The Determinator!

by Retribrutus



Category: Sekirei (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aliens, Battle Royale - Freeform, Comedy, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Harems, M/M, Multi, Romance, Shounen Fights, Strategy & Tactics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:54:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25043467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Retribrutus/pseuds/Retribrutus
Summary: So what if he loses his job, barely has enough money to make ends meet, participate in some crazy alien showdown, and struggle to feed the extra mouths of his new winged Sekirei brides; Michael Hajime will always keep pushing forward and never give up!"Each step towards the light, allows the chance for anyone create a Miracle!"
Relationships: Male Original Character/Uzume/Chiho/Shiina/Yukari Sahashi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. Open your F#!$ing DOOR!

***KNOCK!* *KNOCK!***

"Pizza Time."

***KNOCK!* *KNOCK!***

"Pizza Time."

***KNOCK!* *KNOCK!***

"Pizza Time."

***KNOCK!* *KNOCK!***

"Pizza Time."

***KNOCK!* *KNOCK!***

"Pizza Time."

***KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!***

Incessant knocking soon evolved into violent banging, as the dirtied white apartment door finally opened to reveal on the other side a peeved off 21 year old pizza delivery man. He was fairly tall had short, wavy hair and the complexion of his skin was rather dark compared to most other citizens in Tokyo.

Garbed in a black jacket and red hat emblazoned with the words "Takuya's Pizzeria", his blue eyes angrily looked to the occupant who had just opened the door. And surprise, surprise it was another "fluffy" customer garbed in nothing but his dirtied sleeveless white shirt and black shorts.

Impatiently tapping his feet, the pizza delivery man held up the now cold box of pizza and growled, "Pizza Time, Motherfucker."

"My, my, what a foul mouth you have there, delivery boy. Don't you know its common courtesy to treat your customers with respect?" The "fluffy" man smirked as he finished pushing the door open with his sausage fingers.

"Don't you know its common courtesy to open the door after the first ten fucking minutes?" The young man angrily raised his brow.

"Oh, wow, really? I'm sorry, I dozed off after coming back from work and I had a REALLY awful day." Looking skeptical, the young man looked past the customer to see a large television connected to a gaming console. The very same gaming console that he heard twenty minutes ago go mute after his first knock.

"Aw, how sad… 2500 yen. Cough it up, now." The delivery man growled.

"Actually, I believe my order is free considering you were late to bring it to me in less than fifteen minutes." The fluffy customer said much to the annoyance of the deliveryman, who growled at the stupid motto from work. For every purchase of Takuya's pizzas, every late delivery past the fifteen-minute mark will make the order absolutely free with a smile and a promise to do better next time.

"But I was here ten minutes ago, it only took my five minutes to get here." The delivery man said through clenched teeth.

"Really? Because I was asleep, and I don't remember hearing you so where's my free pizza and smile?"

"…" The young man's glare only intensified as the fluffy customer's demeaning smirk widened.

"Now, now, I don't believe that's an expression a late delivery boy should make. I do believe your place of business also promised that you'd pledge to do better not to screw up again the future, right?"

"…You know what, yeah, you're right…" The young man's raging expression soon morphed to a gentle smile.

"Nice to see you know your place kid, by the way, lovely smile, I can only imagine the practice you must have kissing up to your boss for a shitty pay raise. Now about that free pizza…" The fluffy man rubbed his sausage fingers together and licked his chapped lips.

"Oh, right, I remembered. You ordered a double peperoni, right?" The deliveryman opened the pizza box to "examine" the contents.

"Yeah, now give that baby to me right now, kid."

"Well, sir, since you asked…" The customer barely had time to react before the young man spun the box around and slammed it the lukewarm pizza into his face. The overweight customer screamed in pain, much less from the heat but from the amount of force put behind the pizza throw as the delivery boy only continue to smear it all over his face and wide eyes as they really wanted the grease to sink in.

As the customer fell to the ground, wailing and crying in pain, the delivery boy chuckled, "I'm sorry for being late sir. I hope that you enjoy your free pizza because that one was on the house, and honestly, I promise to do better next time." The deliveryman rolled his left arm, "My right arm is my most dominant one so it wouldn't do to hold back like this next time. Well, from "Takuya's Pizzeria" I wish you a lovely day. Bye!"

The young man gave the overweight customer a wave goodbye with a single finger, one that the screaming fat man couldn't see with tons melted cheese in his eyes, but either way the message he wanted to get across couldn't be anymore clearer.

"Y-You-! Who are you, I'll report you to your boss and have your ass fired!" The agonizing customer forced out the words as he staggered back onto his feet.

Not deeming to turn around as he made his way for the stairs, the young deliveryman shouted, "The name's Michael Hajime, Hormel, and I suggest you wait in line for that!" Because based on experience, this wasn't even the worst confrontation when it came to him delivering pizzas. Ugh, Michael could already predict the ear-splitting scolding he would receive on the phone from his boss. Freaking typical.

As he made his way downstairs, he hopped onto a black leather seat, plopped on top of his work hat a black helmet, kicked up the chrome stand and revved up the engine. Soon, he found himself cruising down the street on his black Harley. He clicked his tongue in annoyance at the recent situation and breathed slowly just to calmed to himself down.

It certainly wasn't the first time that he had to deal with it and it certainly wasn't going to be the last. He still remembers that last delivery with the two chicks at that futuristic building in the middle of town, MBI. Its apparently a world-famous organization for its future advancements and so and so. Sadly, he could never afford any of their advanced products, so he doesn't pay much attention.

But back to those two chick receptionists, when he arrived, he was close to being late at around twelve minutes, which was nothing sort of a miracle considering how busy Tokyo's streets were. But when he arrived the lady at the front desk told him that she wasn't the one who ordered the pizzas and that the one who did was taking their break, plus the lady wasn't going to pay for the pizzas.

Making him wait thirty minutes until the one, who did order them, returned from their break and had the freaking gall to demand that the order should be free along with the other receptionist who he met first. That day was such a pain in the ass, but they were still able to get their free cold pizza after he decided it was a waste of time.

Speaking of wasting time, now was probably a great time for a break.

Just as the thought came to mind, a sudden buzzing from his pocket prompted him to pull out his flip phone and read the Caller ID, it was his boss.

…Yup, right now was definitely a great time for a break.

* * *

[Hajime-san, like I told you before, please act professionally when you're out conducting businesses for the pizzeria.]

"Boss, look, I already said I'm sorry for how I acted, but I'm not apologizing for giving that dick a cheesy black eye." Michael groaned.

[How you act towards our customers reflects on my business as a whole. You have to remember that and just let some things slide.]

Michael narrowed his eyes, "You mean let slide a fat bastard who ignored ten minutes of constant knocking just to get a free pizza. Pizza that your business took painstaking hours to make with many others to earn fair compensation, only to have it unfairly given away for FREE? On top of that, you want me to just take their unnecessary insults with a smile?"

[Yes, I understand where your loyalties lie, Hanamura-san, and I appreciate that, but I don't believe throwing that free pizza we made into his was as beneficial for us either.]

_Sighing and rolling his eyes, Michael shook his head and thought, 'Fair point…'_

The drive up north wasn't as gruelingly long as his heated discussion with his boss. Yet again, he had to explain why there was another complaint from an _innocent_ customer about their employee assaulting them, arguing with them, or calling them a b****. Okay, sure, he admits that maybe he gets a bit off handle when things awry, but it's not like he enjoys getting pissed.

It's not his fault that most of the Capital city's customers treat pizza delivery guys like shit, so he does what his mother taught him. Treat others the way that you want them to treat you. Well, he intentionally misconstrues that with, treat others the way they treat you. It was a blunt way of doing things, but he finds it better than lying back and taking it.

Nearing the residential area, the once bustling crowds and businesses slowly disappeared in the distance behind him as he drove through more quiet roads and towards his destination, which wasn't too far. A few more blocks and he was sure to reach the place.

[Look, Hajime-san, your contributions to the pizzeria has been substantially helpful. Your able to provide your own mode of transportation for deliveries, you take overtime and you've never missed a single day of work after your…decision.]

"Yeah…" Michael sadly looked to the side at that last comment. Some guilt began to swell up in his chest, but that was soon replaced with fear as his employer only continued to speak.

[But these complaints can't be tolerated any further. One more call from a customer, be it from a fair complaint or an outlandish one, I'll have to let you go.]

That had Michael grinding his bike to a halt with a loud skid in the middle of the empty roads.

"Are you serious, but boss, I-!"

[Hajime-san, this is final. Take the day off for today and be ready to work like an exemplary employee tomorrow. Have a nice day.]

The curt response left Michael speechless as the pounding sound of the hung-up phone's beeping ached his eardrums. Taking a deep sigh, Michael removed the phone from the side of his helmet and flipped it shut.

"Just great." And its been two weeks since his last paycheck, being on thin ice so close to receiving the next one after this week was just another case of his Hanamura Luck rearing its ugly head.

_'Getting the day will just only cut the hours I need for my wages short…Just great…' Michael thought._

***BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BEEP!***

"Now I wonder who it is this time…" Flipping up his phone, Michael tiredly opened his phone to glance at the Caller ID. Curiously, he tilted his head at the peculiarity of the caller's choice at calling him during this time of day.

A small smile crept on his face as he answered, "What's up, Yuka-?"

"Hah, we finally got you punk!"

Not too far from where his bike was parked, a rather violent roar filled the quiet streets of the residential area. A rare occurrence, one that made him unintentionally hang up the phone mid-call to go investigate. Now anyone who caught that could already tell that some poor sucker was getting harassed by a couple of punks, a common scene you'd usually find in manga, anime, and mostly anywhere in Capital City's many alleyways. Up here in the northern section, you wouldn't get any of that nonsense, besides gossiping mothers, children happily playing in the playgrounds and the occasional salesman being chased out by non-gullible residents.

So to hear that familiar song and dance in such a peaceful place had him really curious. Pulling his bike by his side, he neared a corner of a nearby house's white walled fence to see the scene. There were four of them in total, and out of the four, three of them fit your typical description of a delinquent or ruffian.

But as for the fourth person being violently pinned to the wall, he had to blink to confirm something that was bothering him once he first laid eyes on them.

_'Is that a chick or…yup, that's definitely a dude…' The old elevator eyes trick was a dual edged sword for him and most men, but it was necessary to confirm the silver haired individual's gender._

In fact, had he not thoroughly "looked" at them, he would have mistaken their androgynous appearance for that of a girl's. Their petite figure and his now dirtied modest choice of clothing made it difficult at first glance.

"P-Please, I don't want any trouble. I'm just going-urk!" The pressed young man avoided eye contact with the attacker who was roughly pulling him by the collar of his white dress shirt.

"If you don't want trouble then why run from us after we called for you, eh?" One of the goons stuck their chins out to look menacing. This almost had Michael laughing from the absurdity of the action.

"Pfft, isn't it obvious? The kid must already be aware of what's happening, I mean, it'd be hard not to notice the news coming from that person of all people." The trio of thugs laughed much to boy's fears and Michael's annoyance.

Fists clenched, the boy finally scrounged up enough courage to speak, "Please just let me go, I-I made a promise to go somewhere and wait for someone precious to me!" His words were resolute and firm, but sadly, his shaking demeanor couldn't keep up with mouth as the thugs openly mocked his crumbling confidence.

"Do you hear that? He has somewhere to be!"

"Ugh!"

One of the thugs roughly shoved him against one of the white stone walls.

"Well, he's not wrong. He will have to go somewhere, but with us to present you to precious someone to us, who'll be paying us tons of cash for your scrawny little ass."

"So if you don't want trouble then come with u-hrk!"

"Whoa there, excuse me~!"

While the thugs were going on to speak the usual cliché dribble, Michael revved up the engine to his Harley and blindsided one of them. Now relax, he didn't run him over, it was just a bit of a shove that left him tumbling on the concrete ground, motionless with a probable concussion.

Getting off his bike, Michael parked it as he approached the remaining two thugs who were still flabbergasted by his arrival.

"W-Who the hell are you?" The thug panicked as he attempted to pull something from his pocket.

_'Nope none of that.' Michael sighed as he quickly grabbed the fumbling punk's collar and reared his head back to soon crash it against the wide eyed punk, who's eyes rolled back from the sheer force of the impact._

Dropping the second unconscious punk, Michael looked to both the remaining speechless thug and the now surprised boy, who was staring at him rather oddly, it wasn't the wide-eyed thankful look you'd expect from someone being rescued. No, it felt like a mixture of fear and, well, the other part was hard to explain.

So to alleviate the fear part, he laughed and patted his head, "My Granny told me that I got my hardheadedness from my mother, but in a more physical sense, eh?"

"…Uh…"

"…Y-Yeah…" That sucked! He blamed himself for putting his own ass on the spot with that comment. Thankfully, the remaining punk was there to alleviate him of any embarrassment with his sheer stupidity.

"Hey, you!" The thug angrily pointed at Michael.

"Huh, me?"

"Yes, you!"

"I'm not Yu, I'm Michael."

"Yes, YOU!"

"Michael." The grinning teen pointed to himself, "Not Yu."

"That's what I'm telling you! You!"

"But your calling me, Yu."

"Yes, you!"

"I'm not Yu, I'm Michael."

"I know. You!"

Blinking at this, Michael looked around the area.

"I'm not pointing at anyone else just you."

"But I'm Michael."

"I-!"

"Meh, I know I just wanted to fit in a Rush Hour reference. No go on continue…" Michael smirked.

"Y-You bastard, treating me and my boys like fools acting like I don't know why you're here."

"Hm, why?"

"Because of the bounty of course."

"Bounty?" Michael questioned as he looked to the boy, who began to tremble under his gaze.

_'What?' He thought out of curiosity._

"You think that you can roll up on us trying make our big break and just take it without a fight?" The punk raised his fists, fully intending to get into a scrap, "Put them up, give me your hands right now!"

Awkwardly looking around, Michael sighed and shrugged, "Okay."

_(Two Minutes Later…)_

"Y-You haven't seen the last of us!" Beaten black and blue with a few missing teeth, the punk dragged his two fall thuggish friends off, unbeknownst that their fallen heads were scrapping against the rough ground, leaving faint trails of blood.

"And Team Rocket's blasting off again…" Michael sang as a distant memory of his childhood came to mind as the three stooges retreated, turning back to the fallen boy, he met his own blue eyes with his own and reached out, "You alright?"

"Y-Yes, thank you." The boy happily took his hand and picked himself up.

"Don't mention it." The tall man grinned, "Now you said that you had somewhere to be, and I'd be glad to take you if you want."

"…How did?" The boy shirked back from the teen, the fear in his eyes now replacing the gratitude which was instilled in them.

"Crap, sorry, I kind of heard your conversation with those turkeys before stepping in there. But I guess your more worried about that bounty that was mentioned." The boy instinctively stepped back from him.

_'Nailed it.'_

"Look, don't worry. I'm not interested in taking you in to whoever wants you, I just want to help is all." He noticed that his words weren't really persuading the kid and happily nudged down his cap to reveal the pizzeria logo on it.

"Besides, can't you trust your Friendly Neighborhood Deliveryboy. Unlike some dicks, I'd rather make a living more honestly, so what do you say?" He made his way to his bike and patted the seat a beat behind his own in a welcoming and playful fashion.

"…I…"

"Come on…" His tapping only furthered.

"I suppose that I can trust you." The boy smiled, finally, it may have looked uneasy, but Michael would honestly take anything at this rate.

"Sweet." Rushing over, Michael carried the boy under his shoulders much to the young one's surprise and embarrassment and plopped him on his leather seat. Deciding to simply push the bike, Michael gave the boy a wink and a big grin.

"Now off to…uh…hey are you okay?" Michael asked, noticing the silver haired kid's blushing cheeks.

Earning a slow nod, he began trudging the young man down the road as it took a bit more urging to finally get a location from the shy kid, and gladly, Michael was relieved to hear that he wouldn't have to walk too far considering that they both shared the same destination.

"So, you're going to the Hinansho shop? I take it you know the old man then, huh, what you have a big old sweet tooth like an old friend of mine?" Michael asked.

"…Not really. I was told to seek shelter there from someone."

"Shelter? At that old place?" Michael asked, "It certainly isn't run down, but don't you think you should go to the police if your seeking any protection. I don't know your whole story with that bounty, but I doubt the old man has anything to protect himself with unless selling goods that can rot your mouth counts."

"I don't know much beyond what I was told. I believe Head Researcher Sahashi word and that's all that matters." The boy muttered.

"Hm? Head Researcher Sahashi?" Looking back, Michael casted a questioning stare at the boy, who went back to avoiding eye contact with him.

_'Guess it must be a coincidence then.' Michael shook off the thought of the client that he was currently tutoring and wrote off the mentioned name as a coincidence._

"Well, either way, you'll find that the two people there are nice." Michael grinned.

"…Really?"

"Yup, I mean, they're a little weird but who isn't, am I right?" Michael chuckled.

"…I see…"

"Besides, I doubt they would kick out a brave kid like you."

"Huh?" By the sound of his voice and the query writ on his face, the older man had probably lost the kid.

"I'm talking about how you stood up for yourself back there."

"O-Oh, so you were there to see that part too…" Looking downcast and a bit embarrassed the young boy folded himself on the seat and buried his head into his raised legs.

Michael felt a tiny bit guilty for watching but had to acknowledge the boy's balls when facing against those three dirtbags. It wasn't a ground standing turnabout, but it was still gutsy, nonetheless. "Sorry not sorry, but don't feel bad, you did good."

"…How? I crumpled up, and had you not stepped in then things would have ended badly…" The boy clenched his hands. The thoughts of being forcibly captured, winged, and used to eventually get to _her_ plagued his mind with doubt and self-loathing.

"Listen the fact that you stood up for yourself at all guaranteed earning my help." Michael explained.

"What?" The boy looked up to stare at the broad shoulders of the tall man pushing the bike.

"Even if it was a shaky step forward, you advanced and that created a miracle. Well, if you consider me stepping in to kick the shit out of some dumbass stooges to be some holy miracle. I would have stepped in either way, but what you did really earned my respect, ya know? Even a crybaby can make something happen if they don't give up."

The deliveryman stopped pushing the bike to give the young boy a warm smile, one that warmed the boy's chest to his very core, "So, take pride in yourself because your definitely stronger than you think."

"…" Not a single word slipped past the boy's lips, the man's encouraging words, the very warmth that his smile brought and his eyes, they were clear and honest. Not like _her's_ which were beautifully green and filled with honesty, no, his was completely genuine. Touching his chest, the boy felt heart beat a few tics faster than normal, and the warmth that filled his chest was growing hotter.

_'W-What, am I…?' The thought of "it" occurring so soon after being released was a surprise to him._

But a hard finger flick to the head broke him out of his stupor.

"Ow…" The boy cutely rubbed his forehead in pain.

"I didn't receive an answer tough guy. Remember…" Michael teasingly pointed at the boy.

"Remember wh-ow!" That earned him another flick.

"I may not have many fucks to spare, but I still do have tons of flicks." Michael jokingly gestured his hand to resemble flicking once more, "Remember, that your just as strong as anyone else and could be strong if you don't give up, okay?"

"O-Okay…" The boy blushed, but the pained annoyance on his face translated to embarrassment to the older man.

"Good, now what's your name?"

"Huh?"

"I'm getting tired of talking around addressing you without one, so come on, spill it." Michael urged.

"Oh, right…" He was so engrossed with everything especially the prospect of potentially _reacting_ to him that he completely forgot his manners. Bowing his head, he solemnly said, "Forgive me for not doing so early. My name is Shiina, nice to meet you."

"Shiina?" Michael's eyes widened.

"I-I know the meaning is unsettling. I understand if you…" Shiina meekly looked away.

"That is a badass name." Michael grinned.

"Y-You think so?" Shiina wasn't at all thrilled with it once it was given to him especially considering it was due to the nature of his "talents" that he would rather not use.

"Of course, "Death" that is one badass name that would give people a moment to think about whether or not they want to fuck with you. You should give your parents a medal for naming you that." Michael seriously nodded with a smile.

"Y-You think its that amazing, but isn't it sort of like an omen to be named like this?" Shiina curiously asked, he figured that most people would be freaked out by his name especially once they figure out the kind of stuff that he's capable of.

"Pfft, I'd rather take an omen than be mocked. Shiina, my name is Michael Hajime. My ma named my first name that because it was my dad's and he was some foreigner that she had a one-night stand with. You think people are going to quake their boots on the streets at the mention of "Michael"?" Michael groaned and shook his head.

"I guess they wouldn't, would they?"

"Nope, and that sucks, but you know whatevs… Just remember, enjoy what you got, okay? Otherwise, you'd be stuck in a situation where you get something as bad as the name "Michael" on your front step."

"Hmhmhm, okay…" For the first time since they met, Shiina laughed a bit at Michael's foolish ranting which earned a smile from the older man.

From there on, the two would make conversation much easier with each other. With Michael having to push out the subjects to talk about since Shiina's knowledge on most anything seemed basic at best. Though it didn't mean that Shiina couldn't carry a conversation since he was well-versed in some staggering topics such as plants and the local authorities, but when Michael mentioned MBI, he pretty became silent.

So, rectifying the silence with another topic, the two resumed their friendly chat but with a few more bits of silence sprinkled within it. Michael had to make a mental note not to stare at Shiina for too long, he was obviously making the kid nervous, but he couldn't understand why the boy's cheeks kept flushing.

But lingering on it didn't matter as they soon arrived at their destination. Parking his bike on the wooden fence, he and Shiina walked past the brown wooden divider and onto the sandy lot which housed a delivery truck near the modest sized japan styled home/business with a large sign placed above it signed "Hinansho Shop".

Standing on the porch of the establishment and sweeping out stray grains of sand and other trash that found its way on the lot was a beautiful young brunette garbed in a fitting red and black yukata along with a black choker on her neck. Her long hair bound up in a ponytail reached past her ample rear and hips as her brown eyes studiously kept watch of the task that she was occupied with.

Hearing the sounds of shoes scrapping against sand, the young woman looked up to notice a waving Michael and not so comfortable Shiina trailing behind him.

"If it isn't Michael-kun, how are you doing?"

"Good Afternoon, Saki-san. I'm actually a bit bummed but its nothing to worry about."

"Aw, really? Well, I hope you're here to stuff yourself with most of the chocolate that we have in stock to fix that because I won't be seeing you off unless you give me a smile, got it?" Saki leaned forward and gave the young man a playful wink.

Laughing a bit at that, Michael smiled, "Definitely, Saki-san, but I'm actually here to get something a bit different than simple chocolate." Suddenly a tug on his jacket reminded him of the young boy that he saved.

"Crap, sorry… Say, Saki-san, I have someone here who wants to meet you." Michael gently nudged Shiina forward, "Go on…"

"Hm?" Saki playfully, looked behind, "You did walk with someone, didn't you? And he's a real cutie too."

"…I…" Shiina looked to Michael, shyly.

"Don't worry, she's Old Man's Hinansho's assistant who helps him tends the store."

Fidgeting in place as he was now the center of attention, Shiina coughed to try and compose himself, "Hello, my name is Shiina, and I'm currently here to take up residence with Hinansho-dono, which the Head Researcher requested. Please take care of me!" Shiina bowed.

_'Wow, he's really wound up.' The coy smile on Michael's face was matched by Saki's._

"Now, now, there's no need to be so high-strung, Shiina-kun. Hinansho-sama's been notified about you already. We've already prepared you a room and planned out your schedule when helping around the shop." Saki curtly explained as an elegant smile graced her delicate face, "Have no worries, you'll be safely sheltered here until you wish to leave with your "fated" one."

Shiina's eyes widened while Michael curiously tilted his head at that last comment.

_'Fate one? Does she mean what Shiina mentioned back there with those thugs?' He thought that but felt as though he was somehow off the mark._

"How do you-?" Before Shiina could ask, Saki turned around pushed her bound hair to the side to show what looked to be a pink marking resembling a bird and a yin-yang symbol. This earned a gasp from Shiina and a "What?" from Michael. Noticing their mixed reactions, Saki confidently took this in stride and focused on Michael first.

"Hm? Is there something wrong with my tattoo, it _costed_ Hinansho-sama a lot just to have one done for me." Saki smiled.

"Oh…I didn't figure you the type to want a tatoo, Saki-san." Michael awkwardly laughed and scratched his cheek.

"There's a lot that you don't know about me, Michael-kun." Saki playfully stuck her tongue out and winked.

"So why did you suddenly show it to us out of the blue?" Michael asked, a bit confused by the action.

"Perhaps I just felt getting people to notice my new look, isn't that right, Shiina-kun?" Saki looked to the shocked Shiina and giggled, "Don't worry, I was told by Hinansho-sama to accommodate you and treat you with the upmost care. We're not even participating so just relax, okay?"

"A-Alright…" Shiina nervously smiled and nodded.

Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, Saki then began to pinch his cheek with her other hand and smiled, "Good, but we'll have to work a bit more on your smile if you're going to pull us in more customers and since a cutie like you is staying we're going to exploit the hell of our time together, hehehehe!" Saki's cute smile morphed into that of a greedy smirk.

"Eh?" Shiina blinked in confusion.

_'Welcome to the hell known as business, Shiina, welcome to hell…' Michael shook his head at the scene amused by the two before looking around to notice the absence of somebody._

"So where's the Old Man?"

"Hm, oh, you mean Hinansho-sama? Well, he's currently busy rearranging some stock but mostly…" Saki mischievously smiled as she glanced back into the store.

"Hyuuuuuuuurck!"

The sounds of pained retching and cries could be heard echoing to the outside.

"His bowels…" Saki giggled.

"D-Did he eat some expired sushi again?" Michael asked, curiously, he sympathized with the old man's plight since he's been in a rough corner, financially, and had to eat some unsavory expired goods just to get by.

"No worse, raw pufferfish."

"Ew~!" Michael flinched back at the horror, "He didn't cook it?"

"He TRIED to cook it but didn't cook it well enough. He also forgot to completely gut the fish so that's also the cause." Saki explained.

_'Wait, isn't gutting the fish of its organs the first thing before cooking it? How bad can the old man be when it comes to cooking?' Michael sweatdropped._

"He wanted to thank me for always making him meals by making me lunch…without my help." Saki smiled.

"I see…" Shiina muttered.

"And seeing how you're still standing and not vomiting pufferfish needles; you didn't eat any of his food did you?"

"Shush, he doesn't need to know that." Saki held a finger to her mouth but could resist the urge to laugh.

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUARK!"

"God, he's really suffering in there…" Michael momentarily looked worried before reaching into pocket to grab his wallet follow Saki into the depths of the store, "So since Shiina's business is handled…. About what I wanted to buy…"

_'So fast…' Shiina commented at the man's sudden whiplash of emotions._

Ten minutes pass as the transaction finishes. Exiting the building, Michael made his way out with a plastic bag full of double stick popsicles. Now he'll have something to fill him up while he finishes the rest of his day while bringing a possible peace offering to a certain someone should he be absolutely late to visit them.

"Welp, time for me to hit the road…" Michael walked off the porch and turned back to face Saki and Shiina, the latter who's shoulders were being comfortably rubbed by a smiling Saki, "I'll be seeing you guys. Take care, Shiina! Saki-san!" Michael waved.

"Be careful, Michael-kun and remember to get something more substantial to eat later do I make myself clear?" Saki scolded with a teasing smile.

"Yes, mom~!" Michael moaned out as he turned back to walk off.

"Wait!" His walk interrupted by Shiina's sudden call, Michael looked back to spot the flustered young man giving him a frustrated stare.

"Wassup?" Michael shrugged.

"W-Will you be coming back?" Shiina coughed and shakily rubbed his arm.

"In case, I run low on blood sugar, yeah."

"Oh…" That didn't look like it was the response that he wanted.

Walking back up to the porch, Michael roughly tossled Shiina's hair a bit all over the place much to the young boy's chagrin. But as soon Michael graced him with the same warm smile like earlier, the boy's annoyance was replaced with the familiar heat filling his chest.

"But I'll also be checking in to see how you're holding up. Mostly because I want to make your new job harder in case, I have an off day at work." Michael chuckled.

"Ah, no bullying the new employee, Michael-kun." Saki scolded.

"Challenge accepted." Michael gave the woman a challenging grin before turning back to Shiina, "Besides, he's pretty strong so he won't mind me playing with him once in a while, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Shiina happily nodded, his cheeks flushing red. A detail that Saki was able to notice with a sly grin forming on her lips.

"See? He even gives me permission." Michael laughed.

"Oh, I bet he'll give you a bit more permission to just about anything with him, Michael-kun." Saki teased.

"W-Wait, I-!"

"Pfft! Probably…!" Michael only continued laughed, failing to get the gist of what Saki meant. Soon the laughter of both him and Saki caused the young boy to angrily pout, which only enticed Saki to continue doing so in the future. Now giving a definite goodbye, Michael gave the pair one last goodbye along with wishing the absent Hinansho-san his best wishes.

As the pair watched the tall man go, Saki snidely remarked, "So thinking about winging yourself to him anytime soon because I could always tell Hinansho-sama that you changed your mind."

"I-I…I'd rather not. I wouldn't want to put too much stress on Hajime-san especially with the Plan being so close to starting." Rubbing their arm, Shiina's mind then flashed back to a young girl in a beautiful white dress, "Besides, I should be spending my time thinking about how I'll find her when their done with her tuning…"

Calmly closing her eyes, Saki sighed, "If that's what you wish." To refrain oneself from joining with their "fated" one was a notion that Saki found distasteful but acknowledged it due to their different circumstances. Unlike her Hinansho-sama, who can provide apt protection against others like her, most other fated ones weren't given the same luxury.

_'Plus, Michael-kun already has it hard enough as it is…' Saki sadly glowered, remembering a depression conversation they had two years ago, 'But if there's a will then there's a way, and things will sort themselves out if the two ever…' Saki trailed off looking at Shiina, who intently watched the man finally turn around corner of the fence and disappear._

The boy placed a hand to his chest and took a few comforting breaths, suppressing the heat that ran through his chest as his heartbeat started to return to normal. Though the reaction was cooling from the man's absence, the longing in his remained.

_Smiling, Saki thought, 'I'm sure of it, and until that finally happens…'_

Shiina jumped as Saki tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"Shiina-kun, no matter what, I'll do best to ensure your victory." Saki gave the boy a determined thumbs up.

"Victory, but I have no intention in fighting in the Plan. I don't even enjoy the prospect of terminating…"

"That's not it!"

"Huh, then help me win what?"

"Don't worry about it just leave it to Onee-chan, okay?" Saki's grin twinkled much to Shiina's apparent confusion.

"Well, alright, but I'm still so lost…" Shiina sweatdropped.

The sound of rubber flapping against sand caught both of their attention as they looked to the front gate to spot a fuming Michael struggling to roll his wobbling bike on the sandy lot. The hair on his head perfectly shaded his bloodshot eyes as his gnashing teeth released a venomous hiss comparable to that of a King Cobra.

"One of those three assholes came back and slashed my tires…"

* * *

Grumbling to himself, Michael played with the popsicle stick in his mouth while tiredly trudging up the stairs of an apartment complex. His next stop for the day was actually for a tutoring job, he was recommended for the job by an old professor of his at one of local colleges in the city. Unfortunately, it was on the South side of town, so he had to leave his bike with Old Man Hinansho and Saki until he had enough money to pay for a new pair of tires.

_'Shit, how long has it been since I've done maintenance on it?' Also, he had to save up to pay for that._

He hated having to travel through public transportation in Tokyo, unlike his hometown where all you needed was a bus to get around, here you needed go by bus, cab, and definitely train to get wherever you wanted to go. It took him four hours to finally reach his client's apartment and most of his popsicles were on the verge of melting, so he only hoped that things would finally go his way.

Out of breath, he managed to make to the door. Panting, he wiped away the sweat stinging his eyes and looked up to spot on the white door, a note.

"No, this isn't going to be good is it?" Michael winced as he read the paper.

[Dear, Assho-Michael Hajime-san,]

_'Oh, this is off to a great start…' Michael thought._

[After you so rudely hung up on me when I called earlier, I decided to go study at my friend's place for the upcoming Exams this whole week. Don't worry about contacting the University, I'll lie and tell them you did the hours so you can get paid or maybe I won't do it depends on you, big guy, you do **owe** me for this. So, get ready this weekend to do whatever I want, and make sure to wear something pretty. Love you, bye~!]

With love,

Yukari Sahashi.

"…" Moving as fast as the Flash, Michael immediately went about tapping the numbers on his phone to contact his absent client. Waiting for the first tones to ring through his phone, the call was finally picked up on the other end.

[Hey, Mikey~!]

"Yukari, let me exp-!"

She hung up before he could finish his sentence. Joining his shoulders, Michael's head slumped down. Great, now he had to worry about his job and whatever freaky shit Yukari had in store for him on his day off. He didn't hate the girl, but he certainly wasn't so fearless to deny that she's a bit too…forward especially since she's the only client in her Girl's Only University who wasn't afraid to pick him.

_'So petty…' Michael sighed, looking at his wrist watch, then the popsicles in his bag, he tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose, 'I won't even make it in time.'_

Dragging himself up for one last trip, Michael slowly made his way out of the apartment, and through the busy sidewalk. Bumping into others was inevitable considering his height. Fumbling to get enough change for bus fees from his wallet, he pulled out just enough yen that would take him to his last stop for the day.

Struggling to put his wallet into his pocket amongst the bumping crowd, he stuffed his entire hand into his pocket as soon as he bumped shoulders with who believed to be female. He couldn't see who exactly it was due to the busy citizens moving along beside him. He offered a quick "sorry" before continuing on to the nearest bus stop.

…

Hm, it sounded like his ears were playing tricks on because he could have sworn that someone was calling after him. Nah, it probably wasn't him, its not like he's the protagonist of a story centered completely around him. Besides thinking that way probably won't help his crummy luck. This is only proven once he finally managed to reach the bus just as it was close to departing.

After coughing up the yen to the driver, he plopped down on his seat near the window to look out it to see the passing buildings.

"Hm?" Someone was rushing to the bus stop, probably a fellow unlucky soul. Well, he couldn't do much about it now. Besides, he needs the rest before having to get up and move again. Yawning, he slapped himself to prevent any drowsy to take him, lest he fall asleep and miss his stop.

_'Yukari's apartment, see you later. Hiyamakai Hospital, here I come…' Resting his head against the window, Michael looked up to the darkening sky above, completely forgetting about the unlucky sap waving at the bus to stop, more specifically, waving at him._

* * *

It was nearing 7:50 PM once the bus finally made its stop at Hiyamakai Hospital, owned and named after Hiyamakai Enterprise, one of the most innovative, corporations in the world. He's been told that it didn't hold a candle to MBI, but he doesn't doubt the sheer influence that the large business had over the city. If not for MBI, Hiyamakai Enterprise would definitely be the talk of the town.

Walking up to the front desk in eerily empty and quiet lobby, Michael politely greeted the nurse, who responded in kind with a bit of familiarity.

"Your coming in a bit later than usual, Hajime-san." The soft-spoken woman typed away at her computer.

"Yeah, its been…"

"Another long day?" The nurse smiled at him.

"Have I gotten that predictable?" He chuckled.

"Yes, yes you have." After typing a command on the keyboard, a keycard slips out of a small printer and into her hand.

"Visiting Hours end at 8:00 PM." The nurse sternly reminded the young man and handed him the card.

"Right, I'll be in and out." Michael sadly sighed, "I'll also have the payment for this month's hospital fees by next week, I promise."

"Good." The nurse nodded then that stern exterior of hers melted with a motherly smile, "Now enjoy yourself and make sure to tidy up before you 9:30, okay?"

Michael's eyes widened as the nurse began to place on her jacket and pack her things.

"What are you standing around here for? Get going already, it's not very manly to keep a girl waiting." The nurse teasingly pointed at the elevator.

"R-Right, thank you, Sawada-san!" Bowing his head, Michael couldn't express how much gratitude he had for the woman. As he walked his way to the elevator, the nurse known as Ms. Sawada gave him one last wave as she prepared to make leave for the safety of her home.

Taking the elevator ride up, walking down the sterile white hallways, and finally reaching the large door with the words put on a small nailed on sign titled "Hidaka, Chiho".

Inhaling through his nose, Michael took the longest exhale of his life once he turned the knob of the door to enter the patient's room. A single lit candle was all that brightened the room. Looking about the place, he sadly glowered at the pictures of a family of three hung on the walls. A father, a mother, and a daughter.

Shaking the bag of watery popsicles to distract himself, he walked over to the hospital provided mini-fridge and stuffed the melted treats in the hard to use freezer portion that's covered in frost. Once done, he plopped himself by the bedside of his most cherished friend.

"Hey, Chi-tan, I made it…" He whispered as he watched the girl peacefully lie on her bed in a deep slumber. Her delicate features relaxed while her long light brown was strewn all over the pillow. He frowned, today was probably another strenuous treatment day and of course he was late again like before.

"Okay, I didn't make it on time, but better late than never, eh?" Michael forced himself to put on a smile, "Got held up by a lot of things today. But I managed to pull through and got us some Sea-salt ice cream. Melted Sea-salt ice cream, but once it freezes, it'll still taste good even if it looks malformed tomorrow."

He chuckled, looking at her peaceful face as she slumbered. Moving a strand of hair out of her face, he smiled and rubbed her cheek affectionately.

"Don't worry, I promise to be here early next time so you could properly chew my ear off like you always did. Might be easier now since I'm on the verge of losing one of my jobs, but what are you gonna do. If that happens, I'll just look for another one. I mean, Capital City's a big place and there's bound to be a killer job that'll pay well." The more he rambled on, the more he felt like he was only reassuring himself that things will be okay.

As if paying for his friend's outrageous room and board at the hospital wasn't enough, he also had to worry about rent money, and the money that he needs to save up and send back to his grandparents. Flipping open his phone, he checked for any new messages and like before, he received two chains of messages titled [Are you feeling okay, Sweetie?], [Hey, Mr. University, make sure to call!].

"Sorry, Gramps and Granny, I'll be sure to make it up to you too. I just need more time, I know a cure will be made soon, so until then put your expectations for me on hold…" Michael bit his lip as he held Chiho's warm hands with big old sweaty mitts.

"You'll be…"

The woman's hand tightened around Michael's much to his shock as her eyes momentarily peeked through her eyelids to happily stare at him.

"…fine…Mi-tan…" She graced him with a frail smile before her mind retreated back to sleep. Uncertain whether she was truly awake to react to his presence, Michael took it for what it was and gently fixed her covers to full swaddle her resting body.

Tapping at her forehead, he blew a raspberry at her, "Silly even when your asleep, you still won't get it through your head that I should be the one saying that to you." He laughed at his own hypocrisy and admitted, "B-But thanks, Chi-tan."

Rubbing his eyes, the sentimentality that rushed through him was dashed by the loud sound of clattering and clashing outside of the room.

"Mmmph…" Chiho stirred in discomfort.

_'Shit…' Patting on the head, he did his best to alleviate his friend's distress before angrily looking at the door, 'What assholes are causing a ruckus in the middle of the night?'_

"I'll be back, Chi-tan." Giving her one last smile, the young man rushed out the room in search of the noise. Thankfully (Sadly), he could follow the sounds of impacts being heard down the hall and towards one of the vacant rooms of the hospital. Through the glass of the door, he could have sworn he saw streaks of white fluttering along with dangerous red glints of metal tearing through it.

"What the hell is happening in there?" Banging on the door as hard as he could, he shouted, "Hey, whoever's in there! Could you please keep it down, sick people are trying to sleep here, ya know!"

One of the nearby rooms' occupant screamed at the young man, "Take your own advice, asshole!"

"Whoops, sorry, but seriously, could you keep it down, a friend of mine is having trouble sleeping so-."

"No, STOP!" A loud shriek from the other side of the door freaked him out.

"The fu-!?" But what happened next was even freakier for him because the door exploded into pieces and flinging right out of it at was a women garbed in pure white silk crashed right on top of him as his back hit the other side of the wall.

Rubbing his probably broken back, he opened one of his wincing eyes to get a better look at curvy individual that's motionlessly laid out on his lap.

"Aw turkeys…" The veil made it hard to see, but based on her buxom figure, it was definitely a chick and her choice of clothing didn't leave much to the imagination. It solely consisted of white veils, stuff you'd usually find at weddings and other rituals that dealt with purity. Though she was certainly a looker, He was less concerned about her physical appearance and more worried about the many cuts on her body now tainting her veils in crimson red.

"H-Hey, are you okay? Talk to me…" He adjusted the veil that mostly covered her face to properly get a good look at her.

The woman's brown eyes wearily opened to look at him as she weakly reached for his face.

"I-I finally found you…"

"Found me?" Michael asked.

"You, I have to…" The woman's white gloved hand grazed his cheek before limply falling to the side, but before it could hit the ground, Michael managed to catch it.

"What is going on?"

"More than you think, less than you should know, big guy."

"…!"

All of Michael's hair stood up on end as he looked ahead to spot another figure exit from within the room. Standing to be about almost as tall as him was another beautiful woman, she had long wild dark green hair and blue eyes. Her choice of clothing wasn't as risqué as the woman in his arms, but still revealed more skin than any article of clothing had to in the form of a blue and white tight belly-top, revealing some of her endowed cleavage, dark long gloves and stockings held by a garter over her bloomers and thigh high boots.

In her hands was a bloodied spear tipped red staff that was about as tall as her entire body. Though her smile may seem gentle, he could immediately sense the amount of dangerous intent her cold blue eyes has as she stared down at him like cat cornering a pair of mice.

"Now…would you be a dear and hand over that unclaimed bird for me?"

* * *

**Next Chapter- Oh, hell no, run away!**


	2. Oh, hell no, run away!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter- Hey four eyed asshole! Since your friend is beating up my new friend, then let's fight!
> 
> Thanks for reading this chapter guys, I hoped that you enjoyed it because this story is starting to pick up steam for me. Woohoo! Also, side note, I don't do requests from Reviews so please don't ask me to add characters to the harem.
> 
> So, what did you guys think of Michael's trick with the elevator, I know its nothing special, but I felt proud for coming up with it, nonetheless. Now we're moving on with…well, I dunno, I'm pretty much writing off the seat of my pants. Is that how you say it? Well, for those who might have expected Michael to wing Uzume in this chapter, you'll have to wait a while since I'd rather that happen organically then it happening as soon as they meet for the first time.
> 
> I absolutely adore getting kicked down a peg and shown that people still care about me, or just want to try and break my spirit. All the same, I'd still appreciate some critic now and then so make sure to send a comment my way.
> 
> Welp, I've overstayed this Author's Note with this yammering, I'm Out so Peace Out and have a lovely day everyone! Later!

The day started off like any other for Uzume. She woke up, got reprimanded by her landlady for wearing her nightie out during breakfast, and argued a bit with the resident playboy Homura after he accused her of eating the last pudding in the fridge. She did do it, but the thought that he would immediately assume it was her was just heartbreaking…

So, she decided to poke fun at his predicament by bringing up his lack of success at finding the "one" at his job at the Host Club, which definitely pushed a few buttons. Things were about to get _heated_ until the landlady stepped in and dispersed of the situation almost immediately. For Uzume, heck, for anyone who had a residency at that Inn, they knew that the Matriarch's words were law, and so she was politely told by her to go and search for a proper apology gift for the pretty boy.

Uzume wanted to object but swallowed it whole as she saw the familiar old Hannya mask hang demonically above the smiling landlady's elegant form.

So then began her long day of angrily putting off the task before finally deciding to give in and actually try to look for a considerate peace offering. Sadly, she couldn't wrack her brain around what Homura's likes or interests were so for hours upon hours, she had to go from store to store to find the miracle item that would appease the host boy and land lady.

Though, the words that the matriarch of the inn spoke to her just before she left really colluded her mind and distracted the whole search.

_-"Insinuating Homura-kun's situation is utter hypocrisy on your part, Uzume-san. Unlike him, I've yet to see you make any effort to find your fated one."-_

Uzume scowled as the words ran through her mind for the hundredth time while walking through the crowded streets of Capital City. The sun was already setting, painting the sky in one last melancholic orange radiance before darkness consumed it. She's not putting in the effort because she's just not too much in a rush to find her fated one like the others. After bailing out a friend from the MBI, she wasn't in too much of a rush to find some guy or chick, get winged, and immediately get back to fighting for her life.

And she's not only meaning against others of her kind, but also the MBI and…their disciplinary squad, who have her blacklisted as wanted. So, excuse her for not taking advantage of a much needed reprieve. All she wants is sit back and chill. The north end of the city was basically Switzerland for the Plan, and she intended to stay there as long as needed until she's forced to find herself a fated one. Her tuner's rantings about the mastermind behind the whole thing pretty much painted a clear picture about how to drum up trouble.

Everything aside, she does want to find that special someone, but she's realistic. Its not like she'll find the right guy by just bumping into him on the street. That kind of thing only happens in those soap operas and adult novels that shut in back at the inn loves.

"Hey, y-!"

"Sorry."

Uzume was alarmed once she found herself pushed by a surprisingly tall dark skinned man as he offered a quick apology and only continued walking along with the crowd of citizens. Bewildered but mostly annoyed by the interruption to her thoughts, she sighed and decided to go on her own merry way as well until she notices something on the ground.

Picking it up, she looked around a bit holding up the wallet, "Did anybody drop a wal-?" She stopped herself before finishing that question. She's not too innocent to expect the real owner to just pop up out of nowhere as she literally calls for just about anyone to pose as the worn brown bill folder's owner.

"…!"

Finding it better to simply check their license, Uzume's eyes widened as she looked back at the direction that the tall man walked in, he was still easy to spot was still leagues away from her to really hear her calls.

"Hey, you!" She pushed through the crowd with some difficulty, holding herself back as to not hurt the normal people going about their lives. She was getting closer to him, and just as she was about to reach the giant guy, he boarded the evening bus. Just perfect.

Running after it, she called and waved at him like crazy before futilely stopping as the bus takes off down the road.

"Great…" Uzume spat as she kicked the ground with her sneakers and stuffed her hands into her brown jacket. She was so close too, and it was the perfect distraction from the first distraction. Now she could turn the wallet over to the authorities and get on with her business but found the aspect of coming back with an excuse that could get her off the hook from the landlady to be just as viable for her. Looking to find that the bus was close to being gone from sight, she mischievously smiled and backed into the closest alley that she could find to appropriately prepare for a rooftop chase.

* * *

It took hours until nightfall had finally claimed the skies, but she managed to find and track the bus until the guy she was looking for took his stop, and it was at some hospital in the eastern part of the city. It wasn't big BIG like the MBI tower, but it was still impressive probably a rival to pharmaceutical business that literally owned the city. Watching the tall man tiredly enter the building, Uzume now garbed in nothing but her veils made one last bound from one of the shorter buildings to the top of the hospital's.

It took minimal effort for her to do so as she started making her way to the rooftop door. She had yet to figure out a way to properly give him back his wallet without looking too weird and having to explain who and what she was. But those worries soon became replaced with another in the form of the pale moon light shining down a shadow of a crouched down woman balancing a staff on her back.

"My, my, what do we have here? An unwinged chick has managed to find their way to another hawk's nest. Now I wonder what plans you had in store for entering established territory." The voice melodically giggled as the shadow now appeared to stand atop of the fence.

_'Perfect…' Uzume cursed herself for her recklessness as she spun on the heel of her white thigh high heeled boots to confront her new neighborly "Welcomer". A toned green haired woman, who looked to be just about her age. She forewent judging the cleavage window on the outfit to avoid being hypocritical about how risqué she and all the other's combat gear were._

The blade tipped staff was the first thing to catch her eyes as the woman dangerously tapped it against her shoulders while sizing her up with a satisfied smile.

"Name and number?" The woman chuckled, eyes narrowed as soon she caught Uzume starting to raise an arm and in turn slowly prepare her veils.

"I take it whoever your Ashikabi is never taught you manners. You should introduce yourself before asking others for their names." Uzume retorted with a smirk which fell once her confronter passively shrugged it off.

"Fair enough, but I should remind you that its even rude to turn on someone else's property without properly announcing their arrival. This definitely applies when that said property is closed for the night and it belongs to my master." The revelation that the whole hospital itself belonged to the woman's master left Uzume speechless. When she mentioned territory, she only figured that the immediate vicinity was where her and her master would usually be around and control. She had no freaking clue that the guy owned something as big as a hospital.

_'Have to look into who this guy is…' She noticed the dangerous glint in the woman's eyes, 'If I can somehow find a way out of this mess.'_

Sighing, the woman cocked her head to the side and smiled, "The name's Toyotama, #16 the pleasure is all mine."

"…Uzume, #10." Uzume introduced herself, a hint of edge in her voice.

"Wow, #10!?" The veiled woman tensed up once Toyotama jumped off the fence to gracefully dismount in front of her, "That's great, both of our numbers are in the tens range. Well, you're an actual ten, but semantics. You know, it may not be a Single Number like our seniors, but its still close wouldn't you say? It'd be really comforting to have someone like you around, so why don't we be friends."

"By friends, you mean take me to see your master and get winged by him?"

Uzume kept a close eye on the tensed hand that gripped Toyotama's staff, if her intentions weren't clue before, it would be idiotic not see where she was going with all of this.

"Wow, smart too. You'll really be a keeper, who knows maybe you'll be his new favorite." Toyotama laughed with a tone that gave Uzume the impression that she was playing with her.

"Care to elaborate who this master of yours is?"

"If you want something then offer something else of equal value first." Toyotama wagged a finger at her. So, she had to basically give herself up just figure out who the guy is? Sheesh, talk about blind dates.

Uzume then thought to say something which was already a long shot, "Who's to say that I'm not already winged yet?"

"Oh, trust me. If you were, I wouldn't have said anything to you when you tried to open that door…with your back to me…" Toyotama emphasized this threat by stabbing the butt of her staff into the tiled roof flooring which caved in under its powerful force.

_'I really was too careless…' Uzume continued to kick herself. Going out was already a danger to her with all of the potential Ashikabi and Sekirei just hiding amongst the masses, but blindly chasing after some guy who lost their wallet just to avoid simply getting Homura an apology gift? That's pure utter nonsense._

"And if I were to say no?" Uzume lowly asked, her veils starting rise and tense up as they aim at Toyotama

Toyotama looked off to the side in thought before a menacing smile crept up her lips, "Then I'll take you by force." The air was already filled with hostility as she began to skillfully spin her staff in a dangerous fashion that it even began to pick up some winds around the roof.

"And…what if I give you a reason not to take me." Uzume crouched down, her veils swirled around her and bunched up as though they were a powerful monsoon.

"Why ask the obvious? Then I'd just leave you here for MBI to pick up when I'm done with you." Toyotama smirked as she immediately kicked off the ground, and with a mighty heave of her shoulders, swung back her staff and slammed it against the barrier of white life-like fabric. The unbridled power from the collision of their actions caused the roof's floor to collapse within itself and land them smack dab into an empty hospital room below.

"Oops! I think we're starting to break your master's precious hospital!" Uzume growled through a smirk as she manipulated her cloths to form spears to rapidly lunge into Toyotama. The staff wielding woman could only laugh in enjoyment as her arms smoothly maneuvered her weapon to intercept and block each thrust with the occasional spin of her staff.

"Eh, of this, don't worry, _friend_ … He has three more just like this place so breaking one wouldn't hurt him that badly…" Toyotama winked, thus killing Uzume's amusement at breaking the woman's composure.

Unimpeded by their change in setting, the two only continued their strife with each other. There was nothing for Uzume to worry about in terms of getting caught, inferred from the enemy's words, the hospital was now entering its afterhours period. Which then hits Uzume that the guy who dropped his wallet was probably already gone.

_'Just….perfect…' She gritted her teeth and decided to lay her attacks on Toyotama a little harder than before._

"What's the matter, you're starting to look a little heated, sweetie!" Though the room was way more limiting than the roof, it was still big enough to accommodate the full length of her staff. Swinging from above, to the left, sneakily from below, or thrusting it more directly at Uzume's center, she was able to hold her own against the various angles that the Veil sekirei was launching her attacks at mid-range.

This left neither side an opening to advance as they each parried the other's attacks with caution without over pursuing. One false step and they'd be at the mercy of suffering a glancing attack, and kept things at a standstill until…

***BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!***

"What the hell is happening in there? Hey, whoever's in there! Could you please keep it down, sick people are trying to sleep here, ya know!"

Heaving pounding against the room's door roused both of their attentions as a booming shout from the other side spoke out their complaints to them. The two combatants stood still and remained silent, Uzume most of all. The most crucial part of the Plan was to avoid having the general populace get caught in the crosshairs of their fights and most importantly, be unaware that there's even a plan at all.

Worriedly looking between the door beside her and Toyotama, her heart began to race. They were completely locked in a stalemate, and until the new arrival left, they were stuck eying each other. Planning to formulate a strategy that would give either side a chance at winning, a tiebreaker of sorts. The first to make a move once the stranger left would take the advantage.

"Hmhmhm!" Uzume's eyes widened, though the room was too dark to see her face, she could only imagine the twisted expression on Toyotama's face as her low laughter filled the room. Soon winds began to pick up and a create a swirling gale for one devastating blow.

_'What is she doing? Doesn't she know that he's still the-?' Uzume gulped, the advantage for after he left might have been tempting for the both of them, but riskily attacking while he was still around would be just as effective._

Soon the blade tipped end of the staff was shot out from the darkness as it headed for…the door!?

_'You-!" Uzume gasped._

_'Its not unheard of for a hospital to have a few incidents. A couple of words to my master along with bringing you to him will have whoever's little "accident" carefully swept under the rug!' The staff wielding sekirei spared no thought or even the tiniest hint of hesitation as they went all in with their attack. The unfortunate soul on the other end would find themselves surprised once her weapon had torn through the door and impaled him._

_Perhaps the sight would even shock her enemy and she'd use that opening to completely subdue her, and-._

"No, STOP!"

_'Or she could just jump right in front of it, I'm not picky.' Toyotama giggled with glee, though the veiled sekirei was able to conjure up her fabrics to at least shield herself, it was poorly timed. The head on collision of her staff against her body knocked the wind and some blood out of her mouth as a hoarse scream of pain ripped itself out of the woman._

Giving one last push just to sink it in there, Toyotama launched the veiled woman through the splintered door and crashing/tumbling into the sucker who was banging on it.

"H-Hey, are you okay? Talk to me…" A voice who's tone was mixed with panic and concern had roused Uzume from completely falling unconscious. Like always, she rushed into things without thinking and left herself wide open. Her ribs were creaking and aching beyond belief and she's pretty sure from the headache that she might have suffered head trauma from crashing through the door.

_'Perfect…' Uzume groaned, 'Can't anything go my way today…wait, who's…'_

Bleeding and left a sputtering mess, Uzume found herself swaddled in a strange warmth. Wearily opening her eyes, she looked up to spot the owner of the arms that caught her(?). Probably the same person who interrupted their fight. Having to focus her bleary sight, a worn-out smile emerged from her lips as she had recognized the man.

Reaching out, she wanted to at least acknowledge it was him by pinching a cheek. A bit out of pettiness for indirectly being the cause for her predicament, but mostly because she want to confirm her trauma induced mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

"I-I finally found you…" Shoot, she couldn't tell because she was starting to see three of him, but why did he have to be so tall.

"Found me?" He asked.

"You, I have to…" Her mind was failing her, as soon everything soon went black as the last thing that she felt was a bit more of that warmth filling her hand. It firmly held her, not too tight, but not too loose either. It felt protective and oddly comforting.

_Before her mind drifted off, her last thoughts were, 'Give back your…wallet…'_

* * *

"Hey, big guy, can you speak? Or are you just deaf?" The green haired woman teased the wide-eyed young man, hoping to get a substantial response out of him.

"…I…I…" Stuttering seemed to be the appropriate response to what he witnessed, but it was obvious that wasn't good enough for the now impatient staff totting lady. Thrusting her staff at him, she was just mere inches away from bashing his skull in.

"You. Understand? Speak. Yes?" She slurred her words in an insulting fashion just to punctuate her lack of patience.

"Yes. I. Can."

Broken out of his jarred stupor, Michael shook himself off and quickly picked himself up on his feet with the unconscious lady in his arms. He didn't need any more reminders about how his head could literally be smashed open like a watermelon.

"Good, then I'll cut to the chase. Hand over the girl, and forget you ever saw **any** of this, okay?" The woman explained though he could tell that she is threatening him over simply asking. Welp, he won't argue against getting to live, but the most crucial thing he had to worry about was currently in his arms unconscious.

"But what about her, she's injured?" Michael asked.

"Hm? Oh, her? Don't worry, I'm about to take her somewhere safe to recover so if you could please giver her to me."

"Oh, okay, sure." Michael held out the unconscious veiled woman.

"Thank-."

"But hold on a minute, weren't you the one who injured her?" Michael reared back.

"…Yes, we were having an altercation, but we've resolved that through talking it out." The green haired spoke through a forced smile.

"So, talking it out translates to putting her through a door and giving her a concussion?" Michael said rather bluntly, his tone didn't hold much sass in it. It was a simple observation and question at the faulty logic that the staffed woman was employing on him.

"We were having a very engaging talk, but enough of that. Now would you please-?" But before the woman could get the words out the young man just had to keep chipping away at her excuse…and her thinning patience.

"Also, its sounds like you want to take her away. Why would you want to take her away from a hospital? A very successful hospital that would definitely benefit her health in the long run, and since you did send her through a door, it makes wonder if you have her best interests in mind at a-."

His words were cut off from the blade tipped staff narrowly missing his neck and smashing a crater into the wall behind him. What was once passive annoyance was full blown anger as the staff wielding lady was reaching her boiling point.

"Shut. Up." She growled through grit teeth.

"Hold on there, I just wanted to see if you were reliable to handle taking care of this distressed chick. Look, here." Michael held out the veiled lady one last time, using his opposite hand to slip into his pocket.

"Finally. You'd best keep quiet of this otherwise I'd gladly take the time out of my day to find and hunt you down, you slow idiot." The lady threw insults at him, but let out a sigh of relief, she had finally claimed her prize.

"You won't hear a peep out of me, ma'am. But…" Michael studiously nodded as both his and her arms were on back and legs of the veiled woman. Their trade was almost completed. Almost.

"But…?" Toyotama quirked an eyebrow as one of the arms supporting the limp woman held out a small black bottle and angled it up to her face.

…

"…Shit, I couldn't think of something clever." Pressing down HARD on the nozzle, a stinging spray of Mace attacked the defenseless eyes of the woman, who screamed in pain from the burning sensation plaguing her sight.

"Y-You-!"

"Yeah as if I'd ever take an armed lady threatening me at face value. Also, that's for calling me slow and mocking my intelligence, bitch!" Hot footing it out of there, Michael made a beeline for the elevator door. He mentally apologized to his ill friend once he passed her door, but right now he needed to attend to the groaning woman in his arms. She needed help and he decided to be the person to give it. There doesn't need to be any more reason than that to help.

Pounding his fist on the elevator button, Michael walked back and forth, impatiently looking between the numbers on the elevator's floor display and the crazy staff wielding chick, who now wanted to kill him. Today was just not a good day for him.

"You piece of shit!"

If a voice could personify the words "Bloody Murder" that was what could describe the lady's blistering shout. Pacing about, he chanted "come on" as the elevator floor display was getting closer to their floor. He cursed whoever gave Chiho a room on the highest level of the hospital.

"You…!" Oh, she sounded like she was getting closer, he didn't want to look back to confirm that though.

***DING!***

"Finally!" As soon as those elevators doors opened, he jumped in and pressed a button, any button just get the both of them out of there, "Hasta La Vitsa, bitch!" He laughed as he watched the woman making rush right at him while doors began to close. To be honest, he was a little frightened by how fast she was since she was too close to reaching them.

"Wait, don't-Graaaaah!" He couldn't tell what she did once the doors closed, but he was able to imagine it once the metal doors caved inside and almost crushed his head.

_'Must thrown that weapon of hers…' He let out a sigh of relief as he looked to elevator's paneling, he blanched, of all the buttons, he just had to press the one that was a floor beneath the one that the crazy staff chick was on._

"Crap…" If she was so fast to run from one end of the hallway to other in mere seconds just how long would it take her to climb down to the next level?

As soon as the elevator doors opened, he immediately heard the sound of rapid footsteps barreling down the nearby stairs. He wouldn't much time to get away at this rate, and the elevator would basically be useless if she can get to the destination before he could.

Beginning to carry the veiled woman out, he spotted a nearby clothed wagon filled with the soiled and dirty hospital gowns of the patients. Some custodian must have forgotten to clean it, which was very convenient for him since it gave him an idea.

* * *

Today was just full of surprises for Toyotama during her shift to survey a portion of her master's territory for any enemies or unwinged Sekirei to recruit. She just happened to find a rare sekirei just fall on her lap to bring to her master and she managed to subdue. That should have been the end and highlight of her dreary night, but no.

Some random asshole decided to play hero and hinder her hard work, and now she has to not only deal with him and explain the damages to her Ashikabi but also put with the stinging sensation every time she blinked.

_'When I get that guy, he's so…' Toyotama's feet skidded once she made it to the lower floor, her eyes immediately locked onto the frightened blue eyes of the tall man that pepper sprayed her. He was wrapping something around a bundle of dirty hospital gowns in a cart, probably trying to hide No. 10 from her, but he was too late and didn't account for her speed._

"You!" She growled.

***DING!***

The elevator doors closed, and the poor fool worriedly looked back at it then her before pushing the cart and fleeing with his tail between his legs. Toyotama could only laugh at this point, there was no escape, there was only one staircase in the entire building and she was standing on them. All that moron was doing was further driving himself into a corner.

Taking chase after the big piggy, she took some amusement from his frightened looks back at her over his shoulders. His frantic panting, constant sweating, and the occasional scream made it all the more exciting for her. She even decided to play with him by just barely missing a few swings of her staff while not running full speed. She delighted in every moment of his pathetic struggle to evade her.

Sadly, her fun came to an end once he desperately stumbled into the custodian's area. He even managed to close the door. Cute. Her trusted weapon smashed it to pieces just like his head will be in a few seconds if he wouldn't comply.

Trembling, the young man backed off, rolling the cart with him towards one of the walls in the room.

He was cornered and now it was her time to follow through and get her reward.

"You know, you did pretty good evading me so far, but I'm no longer finding any fun in this game of cat and mouse. So give yourself up quietly, give me the girl, and I'll let you go. Okay?" She lied through her teeth, the guy had already saw too much, and she wasn't going to receive any flak from her master about rumors arising that a super power chick was on his premise. Also, she was still pretty heated about the bottle of mace sprayed in her face.

"S-So, you'll let me go if I give her up?" Michael stuttered as he backed into a metal portion of the wall.

_'Not in your life.' She maliciously thought._

"Of course." Toyotama giggled.

"You're still not mad about the mace?" He raised his hand to touch the metal wall.

_'Of course I am you dick.'_

"Nope, water under the bridge." She half-heartedly laughed.

"You're not even mad that I called you a bitch?" He hand continued to search for something on the metal wall.

Toyotama gritted her teeth, "Not even close…" No thoughts were needed to explain how livid she was at this point.

"Well, when you put it that way?" Suddenly, his fingers found something to latch onto and his once frightened visage soon twisted into a mischievous grin, "Later, ya bitch! Wooh-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" On the metal wall was a large suit which utterly reeked, and the man had just opened the door and shunted himself right into it. She attempted to grab one of his feet but found that it was too late. He had vanished into lower depths of the building's vent system.

Shrugging it off, she didn't pay much mind to it. She felt a bit annoyed that he tricked her by leading her to the location to escape, but she still got what she wanted. Pulling apart the bundle of hospital gowns, she looked forward to unwrapping No. 10 to take to her master, but as she kept digging, she blanched once she found under the many wrappings of hospital gowns was a big clumped up imitation that vaguely resembled No. 10's body.

"Impossible? How? I saw him put her in there the moment I came to this floor so where could she be?" Toyotama hissed, then remembered something off once she spotted him. The elevator went "Ding" that only happens when its in use, meaning…

_'That sneaky little shit!' Toyotama bit her lip just enough to draw blood as she rushed out of the custodian's room and beelined it for the elevator. Rapidly smashing the button, the elevator immediately responded and arrived on her floor, and she was immediately left with her answer._

An empty elevator with specks of blood remaining on the ground.

She'd been duped.

And now she was seeing nothing but red…

* * *

_'Sorry, Sanada-san, I kind of made a big mess for leaving. And Chiho, I promise to come early soon next time…'_

The cold breeze of the night sky hit both him and insensate veiled woman that he was pushing in one of the spare wheelchairs down the streets away from the hospital of craziness. His retreat was well executed but not swift and could be thanked to his twisted ankle from his steep leap of faith. He wasn't going to lie, the fall was terrifying as it was exciting, but he found some comfort that a large basket filled with the soiled hospital gowns of the building cushioned most of his fall.

Knowing the green haired chick wouldn't be fooled for very long, he picked up the veil wearing woman he hid in the elevator and sent down in the first floor and wheeled her away as fast as his injured ankle could take him. In all essence, he was successful in his task. If anything, it was barely scraping the bottom of the barrel, but it actually felt like the first major success of his in ages.

Were he to have failed just like any other part of the currently ending day, he would have died, so, yeah, that was something to add to his positivity should he get down later.

_'Now about you…' He looked down at the unconscious woman, 'Should I take her to the police…?' He entertained the thought but realized how sketchy it would be to explain her injuries, form of attire, her attacker, and how exactly **he** found her like this. With no evidence, he'd certainly be suspect numero uno, so the next best thing would be to treat her back at home._

_'Thank god I kept my emergency first aid kit from school.' He sighed in relief._

"Well, Ms. Stranger, I have a lot to ask when you wake up, but I hope you won't mind crashing at Casa De Hajime for the night. It's a little dirty but you'll get used to it…sort off." He winced, besides his grandparents, who helped him move to the city, he's never had an actual guest visit his place before.

"Th…k…you…"

"Huh?" He blinked in surprise at the low mumbled gratitude, unaware if she was truly unconscious or just hearing bits and snippets of what he was saying. Choosing not to care, he warmly smiled, "Hehe, don't mention it."

Though it was hard for him to see over the veils, the woman in the wheelchair expression instinctively softened at the kindness his voice resonated in her as the smallest of smiles materialized on her resting expression.

Into the dark night, the pair strolled off into the unpredictable streets of Capital City where their fates intertwined with the fates of many other to follow would soon engulf the very city into massive battle that would shake the very earth itself.

* * *

"…" He wasn't that far away; she could still reach him. Toyotama had readied herself to aim and fire her staff at the retreating man limping away from the city. She wasn't going to be made a fool of and come out of it a complete loser. In the end, she'll be the one having the last laugh.

That should have been the way things should go, but…

"I'd refrain from doing something you may soon later regret." The once cold winds on the roof soon became scalding hot against Toyotama's skin. That voice it sounded familiar, wait, could it be?

"Hold on? What are you-?" Toyotama froze as she turned around to be faced with a silver haired masked individual clad in all black. Licks of flames ignited from his whole being as a warning to her should she make one false move in their presence.

"I'd prefer you not attacking those two right at this moment, No. 16. Call it a request from a friend, who had to step in and help you pre-winging from your Ashikabi." The black coated man "kindly" requested, holding up a hand, which formed a blazing sphere of flames.

"…Tch…" Found with little to no choice, Toyotama grip on her staff loosened as her shoulder slumped down in compliance. That veiled Sekirei might have been one thing, but she's been shown how capable this guy was before ever making contact with her mast. And she was aware that what she had seen wasn't even him bringing his full might to bear.

Clicking her tongue, Toyotama turned around to glare at the retreating pair down below before giving a resigned sigh, "Fine, have it your way "Guardian", but I've been ordered to protect the premises of this area by my master, so you'll excuse the fact that I can't possibly leave yet."

"My only concern is protecting those who have yet to be winged, your tasks assigned by your master hold little importance to me." The one dubbed as "Guardian" crossed his arms and explained, "Besides, I have a bit incentive of actually keeping that unwinged one safe." The bitter sting of not enjoying his saved pudding still weighed on his mind.

"Whatever, fine. Then if you understand, would you be so kind as to get off my Ashikabi's property." Coldly walking past "Guardian" to enter the roof's entrance/exit, Toyotama failed to take notice of a few black feathers falling onto the roof.

"You should be glad I'm nice enough to step in. Otherwise…" The silver haired man's gaze narrowed at the rooftop of a nearby building, "The crows would have gotten to you too…"

Even though the vast distance between lessened the effect, the horrible sense of dread that he felt from locking eyes with those gray lusterless fish eyes has never changed since the first day he had ever made contact with **it.**


	3. Hey, four eyed asshole! Since your friend is beating up my new friend, then let's fight!

The pain, oh, the undeniable pain of her bruised ribs was neck in neck with Uzume's throbbing head. She allowed a low groan to slip past her lips as she began to stir awake, still disoriented to properly grasp her surroundings. Rubbing her head, she felt a thick layering of bandages wrapped around it.

"Who, no where am I? Ngh!" Uzume grunted.

The best that she could make out was that she was currently laying on a bed while wrapped around a thin, soft blanket. The sensation of being wrapped in the light fabric made her feel so warm without it being overbearing hot and heavy on her wounded midriff.

Pushing herself up, much to her regret, Uzume began to pull herself up from the soft pillow that had kept her head leveled and had to momentarily clutch her forehead just to alleviate the extra rush of pain coursing through her. She winced as small rays of sunshine peeked through the cracks of the window beside the bed.

Her growing headache from all of this stimulation aside, Uzume was now able to get a better grasp of the contents in the room that she was staying in. Correction, she was able to identify the lack of room contents around her. There was a wooden desk and chair holding a lamp and a few papers, a wooden closet, a side bathroom, a wheelchair, and of course a regular door leading to who knows where.

There was no sign of posters, accessories or anything that could give her an inkling as to who's room that she was currently occupying. The best that she could find in the bare place were two small photo frames on the desk and she can barely even see who's who from how far the bed and desk are from each other. But even from a distance, one hard to recognize individual was making her get a nagging feeling about something.

_'The last I remember was fighting that Sekirei and getting thrown through a door…' A rush of panic filled her as she began to rub her neck to check if she was still unwinged and let out a sight of relief, 'Good. That at least confirms that I wasn't captured and winged while I was unconscious.' But it still didn't quite answer where she was and why there was something that she was forgetting._

"Nice, your awake. Looks like I don't have to worry about you waking up to a cold meal."

All her queries were answered once the room's door slammed open to reveal the struggling form of the tall, dark skinned man balancing a steaming bowl of food, water and medicine on a bed tray stand. As soon as Uzume laid eyes on him, her thoughts clicked at the fuzzy memory of the same guy that she was looking for holding her in his arms just after Toyotama sent her flying.

"Y-Your-ngh!" The woman moved to get up, but immediately regretted it once her bruised ribs started to ail her again.

"Hey, chill…chill…you're still recovering after what… _happened._ So, take it easy, kay?" Rushing over while balancing the contents on the tray, the man carefully placed it over the woman's lap and gently calmed her down. Her eyes followed the man's hand as it grabbed a single pill and handed it to her along with a glass of water.

"Here this will get you feeling less like crap with those damaged ribs of yours…" The man gestured to Uzume's exposed bruised midriff.

"…I…uh…" Uzume looked unsure about accepting the man's pills or much less his food. Wait, dash the second part, the bowl of ramen that he had prepared had a savory aroma that's making her mouth salivate as much after smelling a good helping of her Landlady's home cooking.

Noticing her caution, the man sighed with a smile and shook his head, "That's fair, I wouldn't trust some stranger offering me some nameless pills either. But relax, this is just Tylenol and considering the beating you got from that crazy green chick, I thought that you could use this to ease the pain. Or don't because it saves me money to still have enough of this stuff."

"…" Still wincing from the pain, Uzume decided to trust the man and popped the pill in her mouth and washed it down with the glass of water, "Tha-" She had drunk the entire glass empty, and had to cover her mouth to suppress a loud burp. Being left unconscious for who knows how long really left her throat parched. Coughing to compose herself, she bashfully smiled, "Thank you."

"No problem." He took the empty glass cup and chuckled, "Woof, you really were thirsty. I'll go get you another glass and until then enjoy the Chasu Pork Ramen." The brunette quietly watched the tall man's form exit limp off from the room and went down the hallway to a bigger expanse of space before disappearing once he took a right. She made a mental note to be quick about returning his wallet once he returned.

His hospitality was quite as welcoming as her Landlady's after she helped her bespectacled friend out of a bind. It wasn't overbearing and he was completely considerate of her health if the bandages and medicine weren't an indicator. Plus, he even decided to cook her up some breakfast ramen, which was pretty heavy to eat for the morning, but still it smelled crazy good. This sort of treatment wasn't what you'd typically do for a complete stranger, and yet here she was getting tended to with so much care.

Uzume exhaled through her nose in annoyance, an inexplicable warmth filled her breast, a sensation that she's feeling for the first time. Though it felt new to her, she was able to deduce what it was based on the basic teachings her tuner had instilled into her. She was beginning to react…to some stranger.

If she was like any other unwinged Sekirei on the street desperate to find her Ashikabi, she would have gladly embraced the signs, jump him when he gets back and kiss him. Ooh, the thought did sound enticing if it weren't her bruised ribs that were beginning to feel better from the medicine. But the usual spiel to immediately wing herself to someone she was reacting to was what she and many others were taught to do.

But frankly, she didn't feel too keen about winging herself to some nameless guy, who didn't even know who she was. Just "winging" herself out of the blue would create more complications to add to their "relationship" and that's not even beginning to explain the whole Sekirei Plan to them.

Don't get her wrong, she was obviously happy about the prospect of finally finding her potential Ashikabi, but she didn't want to rush into things. Did she want to seriously find someone to love? Sure. Did she want to rub it into Homura's face that she found her fated one first? Hell yeah. But the truth of the matter was that she wanted to know more about him before making any hasty judgements, otherwise, she could potentially find herself permanently bonded to someone who doesn't gel well with her or… **worse…**

So before making any rash judgements, she decided to test the waters before figuring out her approach. It wasn't as if she was homeless should she be turned down, a cozy life back at the inn still awaits to act as her haven during the Plan, so she found no need to really rush things.

Looking down at the bowl of ramen in front of her, she smiled, "Well, so far, he's giving a good first impression…" Picking up her chopsticks, Uzume took her first bite of the ramen and experienced an explosion of flavor fill her mouth. Her brown eyes sparkled as she gushed, "A very, VERY good first impression."

Scarfing down the ramen, Uzume was unaware of the man's presence once he returned with the glass of water and placed it down on her tray. Seconds turned into minutes as Uzume finally finished her meal with a satisfied sigh. Surprised and relieved to spot the glass of water, she immediately picked it up and began to cool herself off by ingesting the cool H2O. This relief came to a stop, sort of the like the water in her throat, once she spotted the young man sitting in his chair, watching her with an amused smile.

"Wassup?" No sooner did those words leave his mouth did Uzume cough up a fit to try and reclaim some semblance of awareness.

"W-When did you-?" Uzume pointed out the door then to the man.

Looking at his wristwatch, he laughed, "I've been here for about eight minutes and fifty ei-no, hold up, nine minutes."

"A-And you didn't say anything because…" Uzume trailed off, awkwardly.

"Because you looked like you were enjoying yourself. So, what do you think, and be honest because it's been years since I've served a customer?" The dark-skinned man asked, excitedly. After hearing that, she relaxed, she honestly didn't expect that response from him. If she were in his shoes, she would have entered another one of her infamous teasing tirades.

So, giving him the most serious of looks, she grinned, "This…was the bomb." Uzume pointed at the empty bow. "If this bowl was bottomless, I would not be talking to you right now. That's how freaking good this ramen was."

"Really? Thank goodness, I thought I lose my touch, but at least now I don't have to worry about Grampa getting mad at me for getting rusty." The man's smile happily widened in pride at the compliment.

"Heck, if this is you getting rusty, then I'd love to be around to see you at your prime, Chef Um..." Uzume giggled while subtly grasping for a name.

"Chef Michael Hajime, miss…" It was Michael's turn to "subtly" ask for her name.

"Uzume."

"Well, Miss Uzume, you've actually been a pretty great customer. In fact, you're the first customer, who's been legitimately honest and courteous to me so far this month."

"Psshaw! You don't have to be so nice. With cooking like this, I doubt any of your customers would badmouth you." Uzume could only laugh harder at that notion but was unaware of Michael's smile's looking irksome for a split second.

"Y-You'd be surprised…" Michael muttered to himself.

Eventually all of the laughter came to an end, leaving Uzume to discuss with her rescuer a couple of topics that she'd rather avoid. He basically gave her the rundown of what exactly happened in his perspective and would only continue to do so while she was still stewing over what happened after she fell unconscious.

"So, a lot of crazy shit happened last night…" The man spoke up, "You getting put through a door wall by some crazed staff wielding maniac and me almost dying to that maniac. To be honest, that day was already shit, but boy did it get worse."

Uzume was not sure how to respond but blinked out of surprise once he graced her with a grateful smile.

"Thankfully, you showed up when you did and made the end of the day better." Michael chuckled, "I mean, yeah, I almost died when you came bursting the door, but I've gotta say, you really gave me the pick me up I needed. Thanks."

"…H-Hey, don't mention it, ya know! I…uh…I…" Flustered, Uzume's cheeks began to look a rosy red as his words began to struck a chord in her. The warmth in her chest was beginning to heat up, and he was barely even getting to the actual questions of what she and Toyotama are.

Though she tried, Uzume wouldn't need to suppress the heat in chest for much longer as Michael pulled out his wallet and grinned. "Without you I would've lost the only thing keeping me alive. You're the best!"

Uzume almost deadpanned at that, she felt relieved that he was able to get his wallet back along with things not going a tad too fast, but a small part of her felt a bit disappointed that he was mostly referring to his bill fold.

"Ahem, yeah, I'm glad that I brought that back to you and…" Uzume's eyes widened upon realization as she covered herself and turned her body away from the man out of some embarrassment, "Hold on, I put that…did you?"

Groaning and unamused, Michael shook his head, "If your implying that I searched your body while you were unconscious, please don't, seriously. It slipped out of your…AHEM! Yeah, it happened while I was carting you off from the hospital to my apartment." He noticed the incredulous look on Uzume's face and crossed his arms at the silent insinuation still being directed at him.

"If you're still wanting to blame someone then blame your style of wardrobe because I doubt you would have put this in _there_ if you had actual pockets."

_'…He's got me there…'_

"Fine…"

Uzume sighed in admittance. She had stashed away her civilian clothing just to freely make use of her showy combat gear, so any reasonable way to carry the item had to "improvised". She inwardly cursed once she realized that she left her clothes somewhere in some alley…in Tokyo for over a day.

_'Mental Note #1: Remember to go back for that.' She thought then mischievously thought, 'Mental Note #2: Make sure to use possible stolen clothes as ammo to use against the landlady and Homura when returning empty handed.'_

"Sweet so if we're done pointing fingers. Let's discuss what happened last night with that other girl and why you two were duking it out like animals in a hospital…" Michael leant his arm against his desk and propped his head up on his palm.

"I agree with you that I was fighting her, but I wouldn't say we were going at it like animals…" Uzume smiled, trying to steadily veer off topic.

"You two were fighting in the middle of a closing hospital, and I heard all of your mess from a room on the opposite end of the hall. You two were fighting like animals, end of story. Now what really happened, why'd you two even get into a fight, and how come the two of you were so superhuman?" Michael bombarded Uzume with questions.

_'Talking about cutting to the heart of things.' The man's blunt attitude was a bit off putting but she could understand why he'd want to keep things short and sweet after what he witnessed._

Taking in a deep breath, Uzume decided to at least answer to the best of her ability. She owed that much to the guy, who practically saved her from being captured and winged by some stranger Ashikabi. "The staff wielding woman, you saw last night was the one who attacked, first. She didn't pay too kindly to me arriving at the hospital so late, forcing me to defend myself against her. She tried to kill whoever was knocking at the door, you, in order to get more breathing room and I stood in the middle of it to prevent that."

"I see…" Michael scratched his head and looked at the floor, sadly. Uzume surmised that he was feeling guilty for indirectly being the cause for her condition. First her arriving at the hospital to return his wallet then him arriving at the worst possible moment in the middle of her fight. Both facts obviously pointed back to him being the cause for her troubles. "Sorry about that…"

"Don't be. After all, you managed to get me away from that crazy lady in the end, so there's nothing to stress over." Uzume said, hoping that her answer would suffice.

"True, but still…" Michael's guilt reared its ugly head as he sadly sighed once more before sucking it up to seriously look at her, "I can cry about my guilt later, but that still doesn't answer my last question. Why were you two so strong? I can attest to that other lady's strength after seeing what she can do and especially from how you can take a hit from that staff of her. So, what's that all about?"

Shoot, she really expected him to stay stuck up with being the main cause for her distress yesterday.

"And also that lady talked about taking you somewhere based on how eager she was to get you…right after trying to off me." Michael deduced, "So any chance you know the answers to any of this?"

_'Damn, he's really asking some good questions. If I try to skirt around the details, he'll only grow more suspicious and get that much closer to learning about the Plan…' Uzume couldn't help but feel so conflicted about what she should do, '…Would it be such a bad thing for him to figure out?' The thought of just spilling the beans to the guy who nearly died to save her felt so liberating with the bonus of her very "core" reacting to him that her chest felt as though it was burning. But she still wanted to play it safe before deciding to take that leap. What if revealing everything to him would freak him out and cause him to kick her out, but the same could be said for remaining silent; would he be so frustrated with her that he'd still kick her out, nonetheless?_

_'Agh, I said I wanted to take things slow and relax so why am I thinking so hard!' Uzume clutched her in pain which was more mental than physical. Reacting to the guy only made things harder for her usually mellow head straight._

"…"

"…Can't tell if you just don't know or just don't want to tell me." Michael's words snapped Uzume out of her mental conundrum just to send him a hesitant glance before sadly looking down.

"S-Sorry, I can't…" Uzume quietly muttered.

"So, you do know…"

"…"

The man was met with only silence. Groaning, the young man picked himself up from his chair, Uzume didn't dare to look him in the eye, but could still feel his gaze over her.

"Welp, if your going to be like that then…"

Uzume's eyes tightened as she prepares herself for her eventual expulsion from the apartment.

"Stay here and rest up until your back to feeling like you're at your best." Michael gently chuckled.

"Eh?"

"Call me if you need anything, but don't expect any more ramen, okay? I used up the last of what was sent to me this month give you something to look forward to after you woke up."

"What? But… I…"

Uzume's eyes widened, from the side of her vision, she caught Michael beginning to limp his way out of the room, finally noticing his bandaged foot. She wanted to question what happened to it, but the most important one that sprung to mind at the moment took precedent.

"You're not mad?" Looking up at the tall man, Uzume's brown eyes met with the man's calmer pair.

"Why would I be mad? You're my guest so it's only fair I make something-."

"Not about the ramen." Uzume denied, "I mean about me withholding information from you. You aren't mad at me for keeping secrets after you risked your life to help me?"

"Be mad for what because from what I saw and figured out, you went the extra mile to return my wallet and saved my life. I can't deny that what I saw last night didn't happen, but I'm not so anal as to demand answers for every strange thing that crosses my path. Your secrets are yours to keep and to give, not for me to take, so don't beat yourself up about it?"

"S-So you're not going to kick me out?" Uzume asked, a bit ashamed for even speak her worries out loud.

"Kick you ou-what the fuck? Why would I do that over you just keeping your business to yourself? I'm not that much of an asshole to be that petty. If I see something wrong happening, then I'll obviously do something about it to make it right. Simple as that."

Michael grinned and jabbed his thumb to his chest, "Besides, whether or not I knew that you wouldn't explain what your hiding just before that fiasco happened, I still would have helped you out regardless. Leaving someone that injured and in need of help to be taken away by some untrustworthy green staff bitch just isn't my style. So, relax when I say that your more than welcome to squat here for as long as you need to, Uzume."

"…!" If she was just mildly reacting before, Uzume's body right now was positively aching to give in and absolutely "wing" herself to this man among other things to repay his bountiful kindness. Her core, no, not just that, it was like she was experiencing a heavenly high that shortened her breath and caused her face to almost glow completely red. In that moment, the shaky walls of her resistance against her natural emotions fell as she dizzily looked at the man.

_'I-Its fine right if I give in just a little…' Slowly falling, Uzume soon sported bedroom eyes and directed them at her soon to be Ashikabi. There was no longer any debate to deny this. To her, he seemed kind enough, honest to a terrifying degree of fault, caring, understanding, tall, have that manly look in his eyes, and does she detect a fine tone of muscle under the sleeves of his blue t-shirt?_

_As her mind was wandering (down) off to other places, she was swiftly snapped back into reality by her soon to be Ashikabi already half way out of the door._

"Hey, Uzume do you need something before I go off to figure what to do today? I called in at work to take the day off in case you woke up a little later, so do you have anything you want right now or have something that needs doing?"

_'He put off work just for…AHEM! Focus…' Uzume forced her mind to get out the gutter and remember about her clothes, phone, and probably wallet laying under some dumpster in some alley in the large Capital city itself, Tokyo._

_'Okay just tell him about your stuff without getting weird about it…' The influx of emotions welling inside of her was just as annoying than joyful for her to deal with, but she was confident in herself to at least make a straightforward answer._

"You." Uzume unconsciously sent Michael a playful smile earning a confused look from the man.

_'You fool, I said without getting too weird about it!' Realizing what she said, Uzume was now starting to look almost identical to a red tomato._

"What?" Michael quirked an eyebrow up at the response, finding it a bit to sudden and off to fully process the context.

"I-I mean, I-I-I just remembered! I hid my clothes somewhere, s-so I can freely chase after you yesterday, and I pretty much left my stuff in my pockets, so I…have to get it…back…" Uzume stuttered trying to force herself to blurt out the words while shifting Michael's attention away from her earlier unplanned, but extremely truthful, reply.

Thankfully for her, Michael immediately latched onto this response and earnestly nodded to her and once again gave her that smile that made her heart tick a few beats faster and her core to raise up a few degrees higher.

"Crap that sounds serious especially with the amount of punks taking anything they see like a bunch of monkeys. I'll help take you around the city to get them once I'm done…sorting things out." He points to his closet and bitterly laughed, "If I have anything that fits you then go ahead and try them out because I'm pretty sure going out like that will bring a lot of attention on you."

"T-True…" Uzume awkwardly laughed, she bit her lip in frustration for pointedly examining his outstretched arm for way too longer than was necessary. Also, she was right when she detected fine hints of muscles on his arms, score!

"Also, word of warning, you might want to be quick on your feet when you open it. I had to rush to clean the place once I put you on the bed, so be careful, okay?" Giving her privacy, Michael closed the door behind as Uzume clutched her chest and immediately took in deep breaths just to calm herself down.

_'Shoot, ever since I started reacting to him, the smell of his scent on his bed is starting to get to me.' Pain be damned, Uzume forced herself to remain upright and get off the bed before getting inebriated by the smell. Approaching the closet doors, she threw caution to wind as the man's scent caused her to momentarily forget about his warning because once the closet doors open, she was met with a tidal wave of stuffed clothing just as heady if not more potent than the man's bed._

"I-I-! Oh god…" Uzume's eyes dilated from being overwhelmed by the aroma as she fell to her knees and ferally dug through the pile of clothing to grab the man's black hoodie, which was WAY too big for her. The words and logo on the front spelled "Teito U" but she could care less for words all she needed it for was for one thing and one thing only, adaption.

Stuffing her facing into the large hoodie, Uzume took unabated deep, delicious whiffs for its owner's scent. If she wanted to be anywhere near the source, she had to get used to at least this much.

"Hey, Uzume is everything okay in there?"

A couple of knocks were able to put her sniffing to a momentary end, but a few words worrying about her from Michael pushed her to think fast. She was nowhere near prepared and it would likely look bad if he found her like this.

"No, everything's fine in here, Hajime-san! I'm just figuring out what I should wear is all." Uzume giggled rather dizzily.

"Okay, well, just know I'm ready anytime you are. Also drop the Hajime-san, Michael's just fine with me along with any honorifics your comfortable with. Besides its unfair if I'm the only one calling you on a first name basis."

"Hng!"

"U-Uzume…?"

"N-Nothing, I'll be out soon, M-Michael-kun…"

"Hm, well, I'll leave you to your changin'!"

After hearing his footsteps disappear down the hall, Uzume excitedly giggled to herself as she quietly whispered the words in repetition with each deep breath that she took of his hoodie, "Michael-kun, ehehehe…Michael-kun, Michael-kun…ehehehe…" Soon a final word slipped past her lips; now whether this was the high of her reacting or being intentional about it, this last word would mark her intention going forward.

"Michael-sama, ehe~!"

* * *

The wait for the woman took approximately fifteen minutes and when she emerged from his room, Michael did his best not to further question the brunette's sudden heavy breathing and flushed cheeks. He asked if she was starting to run some sort of fever which the girl swiftly denied. Finding it odd that her actions weren't caused by some condition, he figured that it would be best not to push her to try and answer another secret of hers.

He was impressed that she was able to choose and somehow put on his clothing which was still a tad too baggy for her. His old hoodie looked too big for her, not that he was ogling her before, but with it on, he could barely notice her ample bust. The same could be said for his ripped jeans, she had to roll up the pant legs and really tighten the belt around her voluptuous hips just to make sure everything nothing was falling or sticking out.

After completing their personal preparations, the pair went out on the town in search of the woman's stashed belongings. Their search was thankfully limited to one area of the Capital City: the center, and to add to the convenience, Michael's apartment was situated near the very heart of the city. That at least made the daunting task that less intimidating, but the issue of figuring out which alleyway around the many building corners that could hold Uzume's belongings was still too many to count.

So, in simple terms it was like looking for a black cat in a coal mine. They could be at it for hours, but they still wouldn't be any where close to making some headway. Still didn't stop him trying, heck, he wouldn't have shied away if she didn't know the exact location in the city where she last kept it. Someway and somehow, a miracle can happen if they work hard enough.

Shambling out from their ninth alleyway, the man and wore came out wearing long faces as simultaneously let out a disappointed sigh.

"Looks like the ninth time isn't the charm…" Michael groaned.

"You know, I'm really feeling sad that I'm getting excited about nearly finding my crap through comparing the certain reek of garbage in each alley." Uzume whimpered, the fresh scent of her soon to be Ashikabi was slowly be replaced by rat urine and moldy old garbage.

"Well, it's the only thing we have that's going for us that'll help… Unless, you remember any places stuck out for you before you changed?" Michael asked, stuffing his hands into his unzipped blue jacket.

"Hm…" Closing her eyes and rubbing her chin in complete thought, Uzume shrugged, "Sorry, nothing's really sticking out for me so far."

"Then I guess we have to rely on your sniffer."

"Great…" Uzume shuddered in disgust.

"Well, lets just hope that alleyway number ten is the lucky number." Michael chuckled, not minding the tedious process of their urban adventure.

"Yeah, but even if it isn't. Number ten sure is going to be your lucky number soon enough, Michael- _sama~!"_ Uzume quietly sang to herself.

"What was that?" He heard something that made his hairs stand on end, and though it wasn't unpleasant strangely enough, it still pretty much alarmed him for a bit.

"Oh, um, ahem! No, its nothing, Michael-kun. I just said that maybe number ten could be our lucky number, hehehe…" Uzume nervously laughed as she hurried up a bit to walk beside him.

"…Y-Yeah…" Michael awkwardly laughed with her, he definitely heard something else, but decided that finding her stuff took center stage than some misheard words. Examining her now unbandaged head, Michael asked, "You sure that you're okay?"

"Of course, I am, after eating your Wonder Ramen, I've been in tip-top shape and now I'm ready and revving to go!" Uzume winked and flexed both of her arms up in a way that he considered incredibly cute, so cute that it earned a fit of laughter for him.

"Wonder Ramen? First time I've heard that…" Michael laughed. Earlier before they left, he had made sure to check her injuries and found himself surprised that she was already making a quick recovery. He surmised that it had something to do with her being some sort of superhuman but didn't doubt that his medicine had little effect on her.

"Tch!" Michael gritted his teeth as his bandaged foot ached with a sharp pain. Sometimes he forgets that he has to worry about himself before worrying about others sometimes. This entire morning, he's been tangoing with his twisted ankle and now that he's in public, walking on it, he wasn't giving it much time to rest.

Noticing this, Uzume began to walk a bit closer to him as her tone carried a hint of concern, "Hey, are you doing okay? I've been noticing that you've been limping this whole time."

"Huh? Oh, you mean this?" He shook his foot and winced from just doing the action, "Yeah, but this is only fair. I could've been in a worse situation than this. A broken arm, leg or I probably would have gotten killed if not for the cart of laundry breaking my fall. But that goes to show you why you shouldn't use a laundry chute to travel from the tenth floor to the first." Luck was definitely on his side that night so dealing with a twisted ankle was fine for him, after what he pulled, asking for a plan to completely get him out of harm would just be asking for trouble.

"Oh…" The sight of his limping form saddened, but in a moment of clarity, Uzume's expression brightened as she held him by the arm and brought her closer to him.

"H-Hey, what are you-?"

"Consider this as payment for helping me with…everything. Now you won't have to worry about putting too much pressure on your foot, see?" She used a bit of her strength hold and lightly lift him up, and for the first time this morning, Michael felt most of the pain coursing through his foot to be alleviated from the stress.

"Sweet! Thanks, Uzume." Michael grinned, tensing up once he felt his arms press up against one of two of Uzume's soft mounds.

"Don't mention it." Uzume grinned back, now conducting their walk together by perfectly executing a plan to both help Michael and have an excuse to closer to him. She was almost tempted to wish that they could keep searching for her belongings for just a few more hours if it allowed her the chance to keep snuggling in his arm.

Like an unwanted blessing in disguises, alleyway number ten proved to be another bust like the other ones as they journeyed forth to continue their search.

"Boy, today really is going to be us just searching for your stuff isn't it…?" Michael coyly laughed to himself as he looked up to the sky, melancholic, "Probably a bonus miracle could happen, and I could have enough time to go see her today…"

"Hm?"

"Nah, that would probably be asking for too much, but then, if we get this done sooner maybe then it could happen…" Michael kept on muttering to himself unaware that energetic brunette companion was listening to him.

"Jesus, I'm so glad I was able to call off from pizza delivering today due to injury otherwise my head would explode from trying plan just today's schedule." Michael groaned and scratched his head.

_'Was talking about seeing someone and…pizza? Pizza…pizza…' The word caused her mind to stir as a memory very vital emerged from the dark forgotten depths of Uzume's mind. It then hit her as a very important land mark came to mind, a sign. A literal, actual sign!_

"Wait, hold on, Michael-kun, I remember now! The place that was near the alley holding my stuff!" Uzume snapped her fingers and excitedly bounced in place.

"You do? That's awesome! Where is it!?" Michael rejoiced, happy that their hard work was finally getting repaid. Now he could help her get her stuff back, relax, and enjoy the paid day off that his boss gave him for being unable to work.

"Near some pizza place called…um…" Uzume scratched the side of her cheek in thought before happily exclaiming, "Takuya's Pizzeria! That's what its called, I remembered seeing the red building just before changing!"

…

"Um, Michael-kun? Hello~ Are you okay?"

Uzume waved at Michael, hoping to earn a response other than his frozen smile, but the only words of response that she got out of him was a tearful, violent scream.

"Fuck!"

* * *

Thirty minutes away from the initial location, the pair managed to make their way towards the location in the central part of the city. Usually it would take Michael five minutes to arrive on bike, but with his harley's tires slashed along with his new companion supporting his pace, things were just naturally bound to be slow.

However, Michael made good use of their slowed travelling and had Uzume help him to quietly sneak past the open doors of the establishment that was signing him checks to live off of.

Yeah, he was honest about the part dealing with his injured foot without going too much into the details, but he kind of brought up how his motorcycle tires were damaged and left him struggling to traverse around the city by foot. This was again left without further context, which left his employer to piece things together and assume that he got into driving accident and had to crawl his way back home with an injure leg. His vague explanation earned him so many brownie points that he was given a paid day off to just relax and recover back at home. Let him repeat that back. At. HOME.

Right now, his boss isn't expecting to see his injured employee roaming the streets like it's no biggie with a bombshell of a woman clinging to his arm. If he got caught like this then any trust that his boss had for him would be like sand in the wind. So, to protect one of the jobs basically keeping his life in the city barely afloat, they rushed like hell to the alleyway that Uzume presumed to be the location for her stuff and successfully dove in away from the curious stares of onlookers.

"Nice, we did it and-!" Michael chuckled and gave Uzume a thumbs up, but found that his brown haired lady friend was so distraught and annoyed to be in any celebratory mood as she shot an irate glance ahead of them. Following her sight down deeper into the alleyway, Michael found himself doing the same thing as he spotted a trio of punks laughing and dancing around a disheveled pile of clothing as if it was a bonfire.

_'Are they…? No, hold on… Aren't they…?' Michael eye's slowly turned into pinpricks as he started to dig his fingers into his palms to form veiny, shaking fists._

"Hahaha, bro, check this out!" One of the punks laughed as the spun what appeared to be a lacy white bra in his hands rather shamefully.

"No, bro, check THIS out!" Slowly stretching it over his head, another one of the punks released the edges of the white lacy garment to snap it over his green mohawked head to successfully wear a pair of panties like a hat.

"Pfft! Hahahahaha, the two of you look so fucking ridiculous! Hahahahaha!" The leader of the trio laughed and was joined by his two subordinate doofs. Their raucous laughter filled the garbage filled alleyway until the leading thug wiped his tears away to pull out a wallet from the pile of clothing's jeans.

"Phew, that was good laugh. Now you two help me steal the valuables and take those things off. I know some people online, who would pay tons just to get a faint whiff of some chick's pus-!" The leader never got to finish that sentence since it was interrupted by a steel trash can slamming the back of his head into solid concrete.

"Holy shit!" One of the thugs cried as they watch their leader instantly fall unconscious from the out of left field sneak attack.

"Boss! You, bastard! What did you d-! Holy shit!" Both of the thugs yelped as they saw the imposing furious visage of the tall man that wrecked their shit the other day.

"Hey, guys remember ME!" Michael roared a blistering smirk etched its way onto his raging visage.

"Y-You-? B-But how did you-?" The thugs whimpered as Michael steadily approached them in a feral fashion.

"You lost your privilege to even make me attempt to mock you with a Rush Hour reference after you three assholes slashed the tires of my bike! Now is there any last words before I collectively shove my sneakers up your asses!?" Michael growled, the venom that laced his tone even had Uzume who was watching in the background a little freaked out.

_'I mean, they deserve it for trying to jack my stuff, but yeesh…' Uzume winced._

"…Uh…"

"Um…"

The two thugs contemplatively looked to each other, struggling to come up with any decent last words. Perhaps they were deciding on a bit of an apology and at least try to appease the ticked off man. Michael was already close to the edge as it is, so maybe a miracle could happen for the pair if they just gave him a genuine little "sor-."

"Fuck you…" Or they could just be assholes to their graves…

"There's that shi…Waaaaaaargh!" Seeing nothing but red, Michael could barely form the words to express his rage as he came barreling after the two hugging thugs like a wild beast.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAA~!"

The two punks' girlishly cried as they prepared themselves for the ass beating of a lifetime.

(Fifteen minutes later)

"Er…"

"I would just like to…" Furiously stuffing the last of the unconscious punks into one of the dumpsters, Michael let out a calming breath as slammed the two side lids shut. Uncaring of the three punks' groans of pain.

"Apologize for getting a bit…carried away there…"

"N-No, you actually did what any normal person I knew would do if they found the culprits responsible for slashing their bike's tires…" Uzume nervously laughed.

_'But I'm pretty sure most of people I knew aren't exactly your text book definition of…"Normal".' Uzume thought to herself, trying to be cautious with her words around the man while trying not to be too admiring of his overblown temper._

"It wasn't just that I'm also sorry that you had to see those idiots do…you know what to your underwear…" Michael was feeling a bit ashamed for Uzume himself after watching that display of dumb assery with the bra and panties.

"I-Its cool if you hadn't stepped in to do something, I would have cleaned their clocks just as hard as you." Uzume said.

_'Well, not **as** hard as you…' Uzume tried her best to ignore the pained groaned and cries of the thrown-out garbage thugs._

"So…uh, do you want your underwear back or…?"

"Hell no, I'll burn it with fire along with my recent memories of them." Uzume spat in disgust as kicked her garments away to solely focus on grabbing her things. Her favorite pink belly top with purple sleeves and a gold star, her warm brown coat, her blue jeans, and her wallet! She was very glad that Michael didn't leave it in the hands of that punk, who was about to pocket, just as he began tossing them into the dumpster.

Everything was there and intact save for one thing that left her furiously struggling just to find it.

_'No, no, no! Where is it! Where is it!' She couldn't find her phone anywhere!_

"Hey, chill! We don't need another of me freaking out. So, what's the stitch?" Calming her down, Michael knelt beside her to examine the articles of clothing.

"M-My phone, I can't find it anywhere." Uzume panicked, her breathing growing a bit uneasy.

"Seriously? Well, it can't be with those three idiots, I checked their pockets for any more of your stuff, and I doubt these phones holding the wallpapers of naked pornstars would be yours." Coughing, Michael pulled out the three phones to Uzume only showing her the back covers rather than the explicit contents of their screens. After receiving a slow shake of head from her, he uncaringly tossed the devices over his head.

"Not good…not good… Losing that would… No, no, how could I…?" Clouds of doubt and worries filled Uzume's mind as she wracked her brain to all of the worst possible outcomes that could result from anyone or **someone** important looking through the contents of her mobile device. All of her contacts would be open for anyone to take and make advantage of.

Were MBI to have, no, the North was basically Switzerland. They wouldn't dare step foot there so recklessly. No, the only ones wouldn't care to step foot there and wreak trouble wouldn't be MBI itself, but their lapdogs instead.

The cold memory of looking into the dark abyss that those gray eyes carried still shook Uzume to this day. And to think, she carelessly left her phone for just about anyone to take it. Now she's potentially put the lives of those who provided protection for her in danger. Her shuddering form only continued to feel the weight of her guilt and fear, but all of that melted away as soon as calloused hand smacked her back and brought her back to reality to stare at a pair of resolute brown eyes.

"Now that's enough of that. Getting all choked up won't do you any good, Uzume. If your phone's not here or with those three assholes, then its gone for good. No use getting worked up about that."

"But-!"

"But, what? You checked your clothes, and we made sure to check as much of this alley as we can for anything else that might have gotten scattered. If we couldn't find your phone, then its just not here. All you can do now is purchase another one or do something else to find it. I'm sorry."

"…" Michael saw Uzume's shoulder slump along with her expression growing sadder. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but they had to keep moving forward no matter what.

"But instead of lamenting what you couldn't find, lets at least be satisfied that we found your stuff. That's something to be happy about."

"Y-Yeah…" Looks like that consolatory thought still wasn't enough to sway her.

Gently rubbing her back, Michael breathed in and smiled, "Also I'd be glad to help you buy a replacement. Remember, you've got me around so don't feel like you have to feel completely responsible for losing it." After all, he was the one who lost his wallet so half of the blame was on him too.

"…You'd really do all of that for me?"

She asked with a bit of hesitation. He noticed Uzume's cheeks growing red and began to question if her condition really was a fever but deciding not to leave her question unanswered, he gave her the peace sign and a grin.

"Of course! You went the extra mile for me, so I'll go above and beyond for you!"

Placing a hand to her chest, Uzume's worried exterior soon melted to a more passionate smoldering look. Whatever was happening to her looked unbearable, but for the life of him, Michael just couldn't point out what.

"Michael-kun…" She deeply exhaled, trying to cool herself as much as possible.

"Hm?" Michael nodded looking at her inquisitively as the woman began to lean into him.

"If I came clean about everything would you forgive me…?" She stealthily placed her hands on his shoulders without him even noticing.

"Huh, forgive you for what?" Michael shrugged, unsure of her intentions, but was beginning to piece things together as she was a mere few inches away from his face.

"For this…" Their lips were so close to touching and…

"Hey, you two over there! Let me get a good look at you!"

They were interrupted, much to Michael's confusion and Uzume's overall vexation. The two of them looked back to spot a pair on the end of the alleyway, having to really focus their sights to spot a brown haired four eyes in a black jacket and a chestnut long haired girl wearing a sleeveless cream colored top, short orange skirt, black stockings and light brown boots. Though what was strapped to the woman's back gave Michael a bit of the same bad vibes that he got last night since she was fully equipped with a dangerous looking two pronged spear.

The pair strode in with a swagger in their step, mostly the bespectacled man than the woman, who closely followed the man from behind with a submissive expression. Standing up to better look at the new arrivals, Michael helped Uzume up while keeping his eyes on the strangers, mostly the spear toting girl.

Uzume was basically doing the same, but he noticed that her expression though still flushed was now more hardened as she locked eyes with the other woman, who began to glare back.

"Hm…" The brown haired man rubbed his chin and gave Uzume a look over much to her discomfort.

"So can we help you with something, man because we were kind of in the middle of-."

"Quiet, extra. I'm not focused on you." The brown haired man sneered before continuing to identify Uzume.

_'Extra…?' The tall man threw an annoyed glance at the unaware man, 'Okay, jerk, I can officially say that you won't be on my good side…'_

"Holy shit! I was right, see, Nanami-chan? I totally was right, haha!" The man laughed triumphantly as she wrapped an arm around the chestnut-haired woman's shoulder.

"Yes, you were, Himura-sama." Nanami sighed.

"I mean, I could've been wrong when I brought up the Wanted poster and saw her walking around out in daylight. You even said that such a possibility was impossible, didn't you?"

"Yes, Himura-sama." Nanami rolled her eyes.

"But would you look at that, I was right! And she's actually RIGHT there!"

"She sure is, Himura-sama…" Nanami tiredly groaned and rested her palm against her forehead.

"Whew, what a lucky day for us indeed, huh? Phew…" The man named Himura stopped his laughter to get a few recovering breaths and to pointedly beckon for Uzume to come over to him, "Okay, lets get this over with. Come on, come over and let's get you winged, No. 10, Uzume."

"Number ten?" Michael asked, looking to Uzume, who stood unmoving as she turned her hardened glare over to Himura.

"No, how about you tell me how you know my number and name because I'm pretty sure I haven't met either of you before." Uzume crossed her arms.

Himura shrugged while failing to hide his growing smile, "That's fair, I mean, I admit that we're not that well-known amongst the other Ashikabi and Sekirei in the city, but the opposite could be said to you, No. 10." Pulling out a folded sheet of paper, Himura unveils to them a shocking photo of Uzume garbed in her veil gear along with the noted promise of a whopping Five Million yen for her capture.

_'F-Five Million yen…?' Michael gulped. That sort of payoff was ludicrous. Anyone who put that up must have been filthy rich._

"Just this morning, some anonymous source emailed me and probably many others like me this opportunity!" Himura snickered.

"Anonymous? Hmph, yeah, right…" Uzume thought back to her skirmish with Toyotama and remembered hearing about her Ashikabi being rather influential as to own more than two hospitals. It probably had to have been their doing.

_'But that photo was actually taken when I was still getting tuned by MBI. Just what kind of computer specialist besides Ma-chan could possibly be so skilled as to pull that info out of their tight security?' She thought._

"So, I take it you're here to try and capture me to earn quick buck, right?" Uzume began to slowly roll up the sleeves to her baggy hoodie.

"And miss out on getting myself two Sekirei? As if! After I wing you, I'll only solidify my path to actually winning this whole Plan. Nanami's been able to defeat the last two that we've faced, so having you along will better our chances!" Himura laughed. His boisterous demeanor soon becoming more threatening, "So come quietly or else you'll get to see how capable Nanami was when she dropped those other two losers."

"Who's to say that I'm not already winged and that you've already lost your chance?" Uzume bluffed. She didn't want to explicitly say it was Michael since was already planning on being winged to him, but with him close by when they arrived, she figured that it could at least cease the other man's interest in both winging her or capturing her for the bounty.

"If that's true then show me your crest?" Himura smirked.

"I don't have to show you anything…" The back of Uzume's hoodie began to tremble from her hidden veils, a hidden threat that wasn't lost on Nanami, who slowly reached back for her spear.

"Then I guess there's only one way to confirm that, Nanami." The bespectacled man turned to the woman with an imposing smirk.

"Yes, Himura-sama?" Nanami's once gentle, submissive expression hardened as she glared at Uzume.

"Go get h-!"

"Hold on. Stop!" Finally butting, Michael happily interrupted the brown-haired douche, "Sekirei? Ashikabi? Some…plan? What are you guys talking about?" He was in desperate need of context, turning to Uzume, he scratched his head and asked, "Was this what your secret was about? Some wagtail birds or something because I'm getting lost trying to keep up with you guys."

"U-Um, well, you see, Michael-kun…I…" Uzume did her best to play damage control as the confused man took up most of her attention. She was still reacting to him, so it made properly thinking about the enemy in front of her a dilemma.

Especially when her soon to be Ashikabi spilt the beans of his lack of knowledge of the Sekirei Plan as a whole.

"See? He doesn't even know the kind of Sekirei we're even talking about! Nanami, get her!" Himura ordered.

"Yes, Himura-sama!"

"Michael-kun, move!"

Being pushed with a rough shove, Michael barely registered the two blurs that moved past him as they went further down the alleyway. Hitting one of the alley's walls with a violent thud, Michael inhaled sharply from the added pain of his head, and the rough treatment that his twisted foot received.

"Ack! Bitches in blanket does that hurt…" The man hissed in pain but found a great distraction as he began spectating the skirmish that his companion was engaging in against the spear wielding woman.

Tearing their way out from the back of Michael's hoodie, Uzume's numerous veils sharpened to resembled spears themselves and lunged at the charging Nanami. With a mighty thrust forward, the chestnut haired woman cleaved through the hardened array of attacks with precise skill. Though this retaliation didn't complete stop a few of the veils from getting past her spear and leaving small deep cuts on her cheek and shoulders.

"Come on, Nanami, you can do it!" The words of encouragement from Himura seemed to have given the spear wielding Nanami a boost in confidence as her handiwork with her spear was getting more violent and faster. Each swing pushed Uzume back lest she actually get impaled.

"Tch!" Continuing to reel back, Uzume found it difficult to even try and attack. Just like the night before, Uzume was faced with an enemy who could use mid-range weapon, but unlike Toyotama's staff, Nanami's spear actually had a blade that could cut through her thick veils. Also, the lack of space from the alley made it hard for her to even try to dodge.

_'Got to get to higher ground…' Narrowly dodging the spear's tip from plunging into her gut, Uzume launched herself of the ground and bounced off the sides of the alleyway walls to get a bit higher up into the air._

"There!" Now with the advantage in the sky, Uzume summoned forth more of her pure white bindings and curled them up to resemble drills as she planned to bombard her grounded opponent. Before Nanami could even react, Uzume had the chance to overwhelm her and gain the crucial upper hand.

_'Like this she'll have little space to…to…Michael-kun…' The heat in her chest began to get to her as she casted a small glance in Michael's direction once or twice in the middle of her attack. Her earlier reaction to him was starting to hinder her thoughts, 'No! Dammit, get your mind in the game that comes later! Foc-!'_

"Huaaaaah!"

"…!" Uzume gasped as Nanami, in a surprising burst of speed, jumped right at her with her spear directed straight for her middle. Cursing her biology, Uzume followed through with the attack and fired all of her drilling veils to lunge into Nanami. Save for a few that actually cute through the sides of her arms and arms, Nanami came out of the hasty barrage without any serious injuries and her course of attack was still sighted on Uzume's defenseless middle.

_'Have to mov-!'_

***ZAAAAN!***

In midthought, Uzume was able to avoid getting ran through by the spear, but wasn't fast enough to completely dodge the blade from grazing the side of her midriff with a bloody gash. She painfully let out a restrained scream from her grit teeth as the pair landed back on the ground with only her landing being more shaky.

"Crap…!" Holding the wound closed, blood soon began to soak the side of her borrowed hoodie. It hurt like hell, and the heat from her core still reacting to the nearby Michael really wasn't helping to cool her mind off.

"Uzume!" Michael cried out for his friend as he forced himself onto his aching twisted foot. She barely recovered from her fight with Toyotama now she has to deal with a cut that big and bruised ribs? Not if he has anything to say about it.

"You see that extra? Those two right there…are Sekirei…" Himura smirked and proudly watched his "Sekirei" push Uzume back.

And since his friend or Sekirei or whatever the fuck she is, is messing with his friend, then its only fair if they started getting well acquainted themselves!

"I can understand if this whole thing is freaking you out, Extra. So why don't you run along an-!" Before Himura could finish his insult, a big black fist dug itself into his face and knocked him flat on the ground. His glasses broke under the force of the punch as blood spilled from his nose.

Now a black bruise covered his right eye that he clutched to mitigate the hot pain while he used the other angrily/fearfully look up at a knuckle cracking Michael.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"Get up, asshole! If your friend wants to beat up my friend then lets fight it out like men!" Michael growled.

"Fight, no, Ashikabi aren't supposed to fight each other! Just the-yeowch!" A reeled back kick to knee was all it took to finally shut the guy up.

"I don't know jack about all of this Ashikabi or Sekirei crap, but if you don't tell your lady friend to back off and leave Uzume alone, then I'm going to go absolutely crazy on you, ya turkey!" Michael roared.

"No way, why in the hell should I give up this opportune mome-!" For the first time since he graced Michael with the title of "extra" Himura was reminded by the stark difference in height between the two of them when the black haired man picked him up by his collar and slammed him into the wall.

At that moment all of the wind was knock out of both his lungs and sails as soon he began to experience one of the roughest beatings of his life. "Nanamwi-chwan! Wait!" Fortunately for him, his cries managed to reach the ears of the brawling women with Uzume running the end of rope as Nanami was close to incapacitating her.

"H-Himura-sama?" Looking horrified as she looked over her shoulder, Nanami found her Ashikabi beaten to a near bloody pulp as Michael laid Himura on the open edge of a dumpster contained while holding the wide open.

"Hey, you wanna continue fucking with my friend, then I'll fuck with yours. Let Uzume go now or I'm gonna Kingpin four eyes here. Also, if you don't get the reference then watch Daredevil on Netflix because its one of the best in the world!" Michael knew the implications of what he was saying by threatening her, but he didn't back down. He didn't know anything about "winging" or why Uzume had a bounty on her head, he just couldn't watch as she struggled to put up a fight with her injuries.

"You…" The threat infuriated Nanami so much that she slowly made her over to him with spear at the ready. If she's anything like Toyotama, she could literally skewer him like a kebab.

"Ah!" Nearly slamming the dumpster lid shut, Michael gave Nanami a viable incentive to stop, "Don't tempt because after what you did to my friend, I won't hesitate to put my all into beheading this asshole!"

"N-Nanami…d-don't!" Himura cried out, desperately, "J-Just stop!"

"…Ngh…" The spear wielding woman bit her lip as her grip on her spear slackened.

"Good now I want the two of you to…to…" Broken from his bout of rage, Michael's eyes widened as multiple veils began to pick up a powerful wind behind Nanami. In the blink of an eye, the chestnut haired woman barely had enough time to register the imminent storm coming down on her before getting engulfed a violent spiral of sharp cloths digging, ripping and cutting every part of her body apart including her clothing. Overloaded by the wracking sensation of agony, the spear toting woman limply fell back in a pool of her own blood.

"Shouldn't have kept your eyes off me…" Uzume dangerously hissed at her fallen opponent, most of her anger stemming from Nanami setting her sights to harm Michael.

"Nanami…!" Struggling with all his might to escape Michael's grip, Himura tried in vain to go to his fallen Sekirei. Shrugging, Michael took pity and allowed him to go fall to ground and crawl towards the beaten girl. The sight was pitiful a far cry from how the man acted earlier.

"N-Nanami, are yo-?" Finally reaching her, he reached out to grasp the girl's bloodied hand. But not even a single muscle on her finger moved. Expecting the worst outcome, tears began to stream down his face as he began to bang his head on the ground. "N-Nanami, no…"

"H-Him…ur…a-sa…"

"…! N-Nanami?" Life returned back to his eyes as he lifted his head to spot his Sekirei using the last vestiges of her strength to give him a smile and reach out to grasp his hand.

"H-Himura…" Nanami sputtered with a tired smile as her consciousness began to ebb away.

"N-Nanami…thank god…!" Himura wailed as he too would join her and fall unconscious from his own beating.

Though the sight was tearful, Uzume contemplated on whether or not she should try to attempt the woman's termination. She wasn't winged yet, so using a norito to erase her seal was out of the question. Which only left one thing for her to do…

Her veils began to raise up above Nanami and morph to resemble sharp dagger edged blades.

"Hey, that's enough. You've already won. They're no longer a threat." A tight grip on her shoulder stopped her from putting the enemy down. Looking to Michael, Uzume, she found him seriously staring at her in a bit of apprehension before she crossed the line.

Taking a comforting deep breath, Uzume allowed her veils to retreat back into the hoodie. Going completely ruthless on an enemy that couldn't defend themselves wouldn't sit right with her soon to Ashikabi. Speaking of which, she now had something important to do.

"Augh, son of a bitch…" She winced in pain and fell to her knees as gripped her bleeding side.

"Hold on…"

Without batting an eye out of fear, Michael immediately tore off the sleeves of his jacket and began putting pressure on her wound as he tried making them into makeshift bandages. The pain resided, but it was clear that it was no longer as agonizing as before.

"There… Until we get back to my place this will have to do." He sighed in relief.

"T-Thanks…" Uzume tiredly giggled.

"No, thank you. If you didn't step in there, I was afraid I would have gone too far there myself." Michael bitterly laughed.

"You mean that threat? Don't be silly, I know you wouldn't have actually gone through with it…" Uzume laughed and felt a bit put off by Michael's resigned silence, "R-Right?"

"Yeah, I probably might have…" Michael admitted.

"Oh." Was all Uzume could say. She didn't what to think of his planned acceptance of potentially killing that Ashikabi.

"Its not like I'm some closet sociopath who's an undercover serial killer. I hate killing and death, hell, if life wasn't such a jerk, I would have been close to taking a Hippocratic oath just to emphasize how much I hate it." Michael groaned and shook his head.

"So why did you almost…?"

"Because you were in danger and still recovering from the other day, I just couldn't sit there and watch you get your ass kicked and possibly get killed. So, I stopped thinking and did anything to make sure that you wouldn't have to keep suffering." Michael groaned and rubbed his neck, "To be honest, had I gone through with it, I would have turned myself in to the cops." A likelihood that would have dashed all of his efforts with paying off Chiho's hospital funds and…other things.

"So, yeah, thanks Uzume for stopping me from making one of the stupidest decisions of my life…" Michael tiredly smiled as he sat beside the awestruck woman.

Right now the heat in her chest was reaching critical overload. She was at her limit, but finding it within herself, she at least deemed to respectfully accept his gratitude.

"D-Don't mention it, ehe…" Uzume giggled, her blush evident, "Besides, I'll always be here to make sure you don't get too crazy, Michael- _sama."_

"Heh, thanks…" Michael smiled, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then his eyes shot open after he digested Uzume's words, "Wait, did you just call me Michael-sa-?"

***CHU!***

Lithe arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, Uzume's lips connected with Michael's as a wonderful feeling flooded her mind. The heat that had been bothering her for so long was gone. Instead, her heart in chest felt like it was fluttering as fireworks went off in her head and glorious wings of pure white light emerged from the newly form crest on her upper back.

The condition was met. She had finally found Fated One.

Pulling back, Uzume giggled at the man's wide eyed, bewildered expression and playfully put a finger to his lips.

"Yep. Michael-sama. But if you don't want me calling you that, then how about I call you, Ashikabi-sama then, ehe~!"

From above out of sight, a pair of thigh high heeled boots kicked the air in front of them as a black gloved hand aims a pink covered smartphone down at the newly established Sekirei-Ashikabi duo and snapped a quick pic before vanishing.

Leaving only a small trail of black feathers in her wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter- Stop hacking into my phone and T.V.! I'm trying to introduce my Alien friend to my Childhood Friend!
> 
> Well, I hoped that you guys enjoyed this chapter because I really wasn't expecting it to go up to 11,000 words. So, yeah, what did you think of the build up to Michael winging Uzume? I decided to make it happen more organically rather than have it happen artificially in the start. Plus, I kind of wanted to make it so that Uzume is cautious about winging herself to some guy, who's wallet she wanted to return to.
> 
> Desperate for love/a fighting chance in the Sekirei Plan or not, rushing into a relationship has consequences and you can't be sure about a person based on first impressions. You have to learn more about them and see whether or not they'll actually care about you.
> 
> Now lets discuss the topic of Michael beating up Himura. No, lets talk about Himura and Nanami, don't hate me, but they're not out of the story yet. Nanami isn't terminated so expect these two to return. At first, I wanted them to be a generic enemy that would bring Michael and Uzume closer, but after writing a bit of their dynamic, I've grown to like them and want to show them later down the line in the story.
> 
> You'll be seeing Michael interact with a ton of Ashikabi, or guys who aren't Ashikabi yet in the story.
> 
> Back to Michael beating up Himura. Well, I always asked that question when I read the manga. Why are some of the Ashikabi such Herbivores that they don't at least try something to help their Sekirei win. Higa gets a pass despite being a dick since he used a satellite laser to at least level the playing field and that's not even mentioning the violent Yukari and Sanada, so how come when shit hits the fan, the Ashikabi are just standing there like a bunch of dorks?
> 
> Yeah, that issue isn't going to fly by me. That's why I've been watching/reading other Battle Royale stories like Zatch Bell. It almost has the same premise and the normal human partners actually contribute to their super powered demon partner's success.
> 
> I wish you all a happy and healthy day!
> 
> I'm Out so Peace Out!


	4. Slaking her hunger…

It was close to midnight in the Capital City as the full moon shined down on all of it's diverse citizens either retreating back home to retire for the ensuing day to come, or are beginning to prep themselves up for their lively night lives. The cold winds of the night brought a refreshing breeze to cool the many who were still out and about, bringing to them a bit of relaxation for enduring the much warmer day.

Though this relaxing effect held no effect for the heated, trembling figures of Takano Kouji and his partner, Namiji. The pair have been together for more than three months after she had stumbled her way through the roof of his job's office building. Everything was so hectic that he couldn't remember much other than that she was in danger and that lightning was continually trying to smite her.

Any other one of his fellow office workers would have just ran and mind his own business, but for some odd reason, he helped her escaped. Almost at the cost of his job but the thought of getting fired from a place that sucked the joy out of him didn't sadden him, it did the opposite, he felt thrilled at the risk. Though the pain of getting struck by lightning was a definite nope, he still enjoyed the thrill of something other working in that drab office to be stimulating.

That's not even going to mention **her.** Namiji, one kiss from her was all it took to cement his new exciting life. Though entering a battle royale that risked him losing her was a detriment to his newly formed bond with the woman, he never regretted the choice that he was her Fated One. He knew as much about Ashikabi and Sekirei as much as the next guy, especially after the frenetic ramblings of that white haired man tried explaining the rules like a frantic child.

In the end, he was able to meet such a warm and caring soul, and boy was Namiji open about her feelings with him. It took getting used to, but the pair grew inseparable and took on any daunting challenges from the opposing Sekirei in their area. Three fights, they had beaten three teams barring the pair that electrocuted them in their very first meeting. Kouji found the sight of his Sekirei difficult to watch but would always be relieved to find that his partner had come out on top.

Unfortunately, he could not say the same for the Ashikabi, who were left helpless and watched their own beloved Sekirei fall victim to termination and carried off by one of MBI's helicopters. The look of utter despair hollowness in their eyes shook him.

Was he going to experience that sort of dread if Namiji was…? No, he doesn't want to think of that. Until the end, he'll trust in his Sekirei's strength and make it through the whole Plan. Nothing would ever separate them, he promised himself that he'd make sure to never lose her, Namiji, the one person that gave his life the much needed light to discover more meaning in it other than slaving away behind a desk.

After everything that they've been through, their story wasn't going to end. With the two of them standing together, there wasn't anything that they weren't capable of.

He carried that mindset with him, wholeheartedly believing it until this very night where fate dealt them a cruel and unfair hand that taught them the harshness of reality.

"…Ack-! *COUGH!* *COUGH!*"

Lifted up in the air and pinned against the brick wall of the alley, Kouji coughed in pain. The bruises that covered his face as he weakly gripped the black sleeved muscled arm that was surprising lifting him.

"…I told you there would be trouble if you chose to step in." The body that the powerful arm was attached to belonged to a tall well-built man. He had a strong jaw, bold eyebrows, striking green eyes and black hair. The very first thing that stuck out to Kouji about him was his black overcoat and black gakuran hat, which only made the already imposing man more intimidating as he was reminded of the delinquents at his old high school.

The moment he and Namiji locked eyes with this man and his…partner, dear god, the opposing Sekirei was the start to this mess in the first place. Out shopping since their refrigerator was running on empty, he and Namiji simply went out to the grocer and had intended to spend the rest of their night in peaceful silence in each other's company.

On their way back, they caught a glimpse of the imposing man, but couldn't really focus on his partner since she had started to pursue them and herd them away from the curious eyes of the regular citizens. Thus, they were set to fight in one of Tokyo's many alleyways, to Kouji, he wouldn't be surprised if another Sekirei and Ashikabi fought in a similar place today.

Faced with their enemy, Namiji and the other Sekirei went straight into formalities and introduced themselves along with their designated numbers. With Namiji stating her usual No. 73 and name, while the other Sekirei arrogantly just stated her number without introducing her name to the pair until they've proven that their worth the effort to even be remembered.

This had the pair of Kouji and Namiji understandably angered. They've faced enemies in the past that proved to be just as challenging than the last, and yet this random Sekirei was underestimating them. Kouji looked to the Ashikabi though sparingly and found him to be a rather quiet man, who have him the foreboding warning not to interfere once the fight began.

This frightened Kouji a bit, but as usual his partner energetically quelled those fear as she took up her Halberd and confidently declared her intent of claiming themselves another victory much to excited amusement of the enemy Sekirei.

_"Kouji-sama, just watch! I'll be back to you with another win in no time! So, prepare to give me a big hug when I do~!"_

Those words before she leapt in to fight, he wanted to forever replay them in his head, to block out the blood curdling screams of his beloved partner after helplessly having her radius and ulna shattered under the pressure of the enemy's black knee-high heeled boots.

Kouji had no idea of how grave the situation had become after the first five minutes of the fight. Like always, he was amazed by Namiji's technical skill with her red halberd, which he confirmed for himself, weighed more than seven pounds. The alleyway's narrow walls might have hindered her swings, the speed of which she engaged and pursued the enemy Sekirei was still just as impressive.

Her enemy was weaponless and forced to stay on the defensive by narrowly avoiding the cold hard edge of her weapon.

After driving her back a bit more, Namiji put her all into swinging back her halberd and willingly splintered the cemented ground sending bits of fragments to imbed into the enemy Sekirei to which it worked with less gratifying results. Like her earlier dodging implied, the opposing Sekirei managed to avoid the full brunt of the attack, weaving past the larger debris, and accepting much smaller rocks that scraped and slashed her dark skin.

Damage was still damage, and with no weapon to defend herself, Kouji could only feel confident in his Sekirei's chances of victory. But looking back now, he could only execrate his own ignorance of the situation because that heavy swing of Namiji's would be her last as her halberd strangely became too difficult to lift. She put all of her efforts into utilizing every bit of her genetically enhanced strength just to lift the weapon, but it wouldn't move a budge.

Soon the very weight that plagued her weapon came down upon her as her legs no longer had the strength to hold her body up for her as she crumbled to her hands and knees. At that moment, Kouji realized the sudden shift, their once confident and hopeful demeanors were now replaced with fear and concern.

Whatever was happening, the enemy Sekirei was definitely the cause as they strode up to Namiji's side, reared back their pointed boots, and jammed them into the red clad Sekirei's gut without hold back. Namiji let out a heated, strained breath of air that was met with many more brutal kicks to the ribs that eventually left Namiji crying and sputtering a small puddle of blood and tears beneath her.

It was unbearable, Kouji wanted to look away, but couldn't bear to ignore the suffering of his beloved companion. He only took solace that the enemy would at least stop, which she did, but that lapse in her kicking momentarily had Kouji wondering if what she was doing before wasn't so bad.

Raising their heeled boot over the struggling Namiji's hand, the Sekirei stood like that for a scant time before suddenly, like a sledgehammer, slammed and stabbed the heel of her boot onto the back of the downed woman's hand. Creating a sickening crunch and pop that was matched by the brown haired Sekirei's cries of pain.

That was enough. Kouji couldn't take it anymore. Watching someone important to him go through something that horrible was unforgiveable as the enemy Sekirei was attempting to do a repeat of the deed with her forearm. His legs moved faster than his mind could process thought, he knew that against these Superhuman women that he was no where close to be a threat to them, but doing something, anything was better than watching on the sidelines.

Recklessly throwing a fist, Kouji prepared to face the consequences of fighting a Sekirei head to head as nothing more than just a simple Ashikabi. Fortunately, or unfortunately for him, his punishment came in the form of another fist, or more specifically a barrage of fists that wasted no time in pummeling him to the wall. It was the enemy Ashikabi, and his imposing form really wasn't just for show as he had flattened Kouji in just seven seconds flat before holding him up to the wall to remind him of the earlier warning that he had imposed.

Weak and helpless, he could only further watch as his Sekirei was reduced to a bumbling mess as the accursed enemy Sekirei continued to smash her limb's bones to pieces. Now left a crying mess, Namiji laid on the cracking floor close to being insensate with her only choice words being that of her master's name.

"K-Kou…ji-sa…m-ma…" Namiji helplessly trembled, her arms and legs unwillingly to move thanks to their bones now being smashed into fragments.

"N-Namiji…" Kouji grunted still struggling to resist the grip of the man holding him by the collar.

"See? You **had** the spirit there for a while but couldn't hold up long enough to give me a good fight."

Heaving a heavy disappointed sigh, the enemy Sekirei jabbed the heel of her boot into the defenseless Namiji once more earning a shaky moan of pain. "Thankfully this did fulfill my original intentions for having a Post-Dinner Workout, so don't feel too bad. You met my expectations, you only failed to exceed them is all."

_'She used us just for a workout?' Kouji thought in disbelief. All of Namiji's efforts were being mocked as little more than an attempt for this woman to gain a small semblance of enjoyment? All of their fights and victories led them to this? Just to be used to work of the enemy's food…? Kouji would have laughed, but the pain he was experiencing and the sight of the enemy Sekirei pressing her finger on the crest that resided on Namiji's back to precedent as fears slowly came true._

"This is why I didn't bother to give up my name…you won't even be around to remember it all… But I'll admit that it's a bit hypocritical of me to say that since I have no intention of remembering some lackluster opponent's name and number. Anyways, its time to be terminated…" The crest on Namiji's back began to glow as the Enemy Sekirei began to speak to her _special_ parting words.

"N-No…stop…please…! Namiji!" Kouji's struggle intensified though with little results, his kicks and scratches on the man earned him no reaction just the same stoic look of indifference.

"By the pull of my contract, the weight of my Ashikabi's grievances will be lifted!" The light which emanated from Namiji's seal dimmed and died as the marking which sealed her union with her Ashikabi vanished.

"Kou…" Namiji's frail voice fell on deaf ears as she limply lied on the ground like a lifeless doll, unmoving in motion and expression as those once bright grey eyes filled him with hope and new meaning were now devoid of anything. Just dead hollow blackness that could be compared to a pair of dead fisheyes.

Their connection was severed, and Kouji was absolutely crushed to absolute silence. Desensitized to everything around him even getting released from the other Ashikabi's powerful hold over him. His legs gave out as he tearfully looked over to his fallen Sekirei with a blank expression.

"…"

"Phew! I'm pretty sure I worked off that bowl of Katsudon! Now I feel less bloated~!" Unaware of simply uncaring of the state of the fallen Ashikabi and saddened Kouji, the enemy Sekirei stretched her arms and cheerfully laughed to herself.

"You only felt that way because you ate five bowls in a row." The well built Ashikabi walked towards her, a hint of annoyance filling his deep tone of voice.

Playfully shooting her Ashikabi a white toothy smirk, the enemy Sekirei looped a lock of her elegant long black hair onto her finger and winked, "Aw, is Hubby's jimmies still rustled after paying so much for my meals? It's the job of the husband to dutifully tend to his wife's needs no matter how drastic they may be."

"No, It should also be the job for the wife to be understanding of the husband's position and better communicate." The enemy Ashikabi grunted.

"Hm…nah, I believe my explanation is the only valid one brought up. Sorry, Hubby." The enemy Sekirei giggled and flicked at her Ashikabi's ear further adding to his irritation, "So…how about we go get some snacks to eat and-?"

"No."

"But you didn't even let me finish~!" The enemy Sekirei continued to poke and prod at her Ashikabi's muscular arms, a deed which she gladly took advantage of anytime the opportunity arose especially during the boring wait for MBI to pick up No. Whatever from the crater that she made with their crumpled body.

"I'm not going to feed you and let you run off to find another Sekirei to butt heads with. I'm tired and I have work tomorrow." The imposing Ashikabi shook his head, unmoving with his decision.

"Oh, come on, hubby… I haven't had a good fight to pump me up in days. THIS!" She didn't even look at the fallen Namiji, only deeming to point at her battered body in disappointment, "This barely whet my appetite. I really want to have a crack at a few other pretty wagtails flying around the city. I've heard rumors about some strong blonde bimbo causing waves of trouble in the Southern side of town. That could at least keep me sated for weeks if we could just…"

"No."

"Spoil sport. Then how about that weird Wanted Poster that got faxed to you this morning? Said something about capturing a powerful unwinged Sekirei and bringing it to some Kaki…something."

"You want to terminate a Sekirei that hasn't fully winged yet? I thought that you relished an actual challenge?" The imposing Ashikabi asked.

"Of course I do, Hubby. That's exactly why I wanna go!" The black coated Ashikabi raised an eyebrow at his Sekirei's logic, but to the dark-skinned woman, she was fully aware of the implications of hunting down prey that wasn't fully mature. However, with a wanted poster out that meant other Ashikabi would be out after the poor sucker and that meant she could potentially tussle with a few big names that she's been dying to fight especially with an unwinged Sekirei being involved.

_'Those Lightning Twins and the Sekirei Guardian. Both great catches…' The raven haired Sekirei allowed a menacing smirk to creep on her face at the thought of clashing with the powerfully rumored competition, 'And if the unwinged sucker proves to be more than a warmup like…this…' She sent an impassive glance at the unresponsive Namiji. 'Then it's a bonus. Now to convince hubby to specify the sucker's last spotted loca-.'_

The sounds of paper shredding caught the Sekirei's ears as she looked to her Ashikabi tearing the wanted poster to pieces.

"No. We're leaving, and your staying at home until **I** give you further notice. Are we clear?" The imposing Ashikabi looked his Sekirei in the eye and laid down the law with complete absolution in his tone. The Sekirei could break him into him pieces with just a single glance, but that willful and steely look in his eyes conveying his calloused attitude towards the possibility only enthralled her to once again begrudgingly give up an inch for her fated hubby.

"Ah~! That cold look of yours still leaves me just as moist as the day you first claimed me, Hubby!" Playfully cupping her cheeks, the Sekirei stuck her tongue out at the man and winked, "So be it, I'll relax at our loveshack…for now. But you have to promise to keep me well entertained until then, okay~?" The Sekirei made no intention of hiding her **wants** as she slyly began to run her hand down the muscular middle of Ashikabi and inch closer to his zipped up package.

Hearing the choppy sounds of helicopter blades whirring in the distance, the Ashikabi tiredly tipped his hat over his face and groaned, "Good Grief, no matter what…you always turn out to be so insatiable like a cat in heat. Lets go and get this over with…"

The Ashikabi momentarily paused after feeling a hand smack at his rear as his Sekirei walked ahead of him with a cheeky smile.

"Good hubby~." She licked her lips and winked as she exited the alleyway.

"…Good grief…" Was all the imposing Ashikabi could say at his problem child of a partner, but all of that irritation soon became replaced with less stony look verging on being a bit sympathetic as he looked back at the despondent Kouji and sighed, "…Nothing personal…" Those were the last words that he imparted on the broken Ashikabi just as MBI's helicopter finally made its way into the vicinity to collect the terminated Sekirei.

During this Plan, finding love and forming a bond with your beloved may create the strongest of hope that could overcome the most arduous obstacles it still isn't enough to deny the always present possibility of loss, separation and despair.

All lovers may experience a special connection once they've finally met, but tragically, like any other union of love said connection could be broken so quickly, so unforgivingly that in the end, that special feeling of love and hope welling up in the heart can become a dark void of emptiness and despair at the drop of a hat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now before you grill me for making this instead of the actual chapter, I just want to say that I'm setting up more plot so look forward to the next chapter since I'm going to be working on it after this.
> 
> Anyways, how do you guys feel about "Enemy" Sekirei and "Imposing" Ashikabi. The Ashikabi is basically an OC, but the Sekirei is already pre-established but with a newly crafted powerset to better fit my vision for them in the story. Also, the Ashikabi OC is partly inspired by Jotaro Kujo if it wasn't obvious enough. So yeah, its not going to be story breaking if you guess who the Sekirei is, so have fun figuring it out.
> 
> Well, I hope that you all have a wonderful day because it took me just one day to write this, so I really hope that you enjoyed this small chapter. Stay safe and healthy and always make sure to wear a mask outside to avoid getting COVID-19!


	5. Stop hacking into my phone and T.V.! I’m trying to introduce my Alien friend to my Childhood Friend!

"...Hm, okay, so let me walk myself through this. So that whole Sekirei spiel that you guys were talking about weren't really about wagtail birds, the term was used to describe you and those other chicks? And you "Sekirei" are actually a race of female aliens, who came to earth multiple years ago, right?"

Michael received a nod from Uzume, who sat across from him on the dining table sipping a cup of his sweet, delectable coffee. After the admittedly pleasant kiss that Uzume had given him, and along with the mysterious light show happening on her back, he had piles of questions that needed answering. So, before anyone curious came to check up on the commotion in the alleyway, the pair made quick work to spruce themselves up and deal with the unconscious Himura and Nanami.

No, he didn't just leave them to lie on the cold hard ground, they were already in poor health and them lying in pools of their own blood and stray puddles of garbage water would harm their constitution for the future. So, tearing apart more of his jacket, he made sure to bandage the many cut wounds on Nanami's body, which was curtesy of Uzume's last veil twister attack. As for Himura, Michael left him alone to gradually heal his bumps, black eye, and bruises since he doesn't have the equipment on hand to treat them.

From there all they had to do was prop their backs up the alleyway wall, and despite his grievance with Himura insulting him, he had to admit that the sight of the unconscious pair leaning against each other almost instinctively was rather cute. But cuteness be damned because apparently no normal person wouldn't not hear the ruckus that they made as a curious soul popped ran over to check the scene…in their messy stained white apron and white powdered hands.

His boss.

So, grabbing Uzume by the hand, the pair ran out of the alley as fast as they could, ignoring the yells of his boss, who thankfully couldn't identify him before he took off running. His home wasn't too far so their escape was met with little difficultly, which was a blessing as the sun was finally setting on their busy day. Immediately ushering Uzume into his apartment, Michael automatically went straight into disinfecting her stab wound and bandaging it up before getting to address the elephant in the room.

Who she was and what exactly was going on?

The super powered women, some super secret "Plan" that kept being brought up, and the most recent addition to his queries: why did kissing him cause her back to explode into a burst of white wings?

This time, he was more surprised with how compliant she was about answering these questions as she broke like a dam and gushed out all that she knew about Sekirei and the Plan associated with them. A major change from her quiet and secretive reluctance from just this morning. He figured her compliance had to be the result of her smooching him from out of the blue as her behavior noticeably became a bit more affectionate.

So, listening to her from start to finish, he began to at least formulate her complicated explanation into his own words to start to get a better understanding of what's what.

"There's 100 of you super aliens in the city."

"108." Uzume corrected with a giggle.

"And the main objective of you being released is to find yourself an Ashikabi, any regular old joe on the street and get them to emerge you by…kissing…" Coughing into his fist, Michael looked away from Uzume, who's smile widened at his momentary embarrassment from remembering her _winging._

"It's a bit more complicated than just going out to find any guy or girl to emerge yourself with. Should a Sekirei meet a potential Ashikabi and that Ashikabi leaves a good impression on them, we, our cores begin to react."

"Cores? React?" Michael asked, getting more confused with the included terms.

"Sorry I guess this is more than you can swallow now. Just think of a "core" as something that makes us Sekirei in the first place, and with that it helps us pick out, who's a potential Ashikabi from regular people." Uzume explained with the intent to simplify, she really didn't want her Ashikabi wracking his brains over the little details yet when the broad scope still needed to be clarified for him.

"I see…I see…" Michael scratched his chin and nodded, "And you reacted to me?" This earned a cheerful nod from the woman. Unable to describe how he felt about this, the young man questioned what had made him a fitting Ashikabi than any other dude on the street. Was it genetic or something? Either way, it did feel sort of nice that he was special enough for Uzume to choose.

"I-I've been sort of reacting to you the entire day." Uzume blushed and fidgeted.

"Really? Since when…" Michael scratched his head, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with her, well, except for that one time when she strangely corrected herself, and that other time where she made that weird noise when he left her to browse through his messy wardrobe.

…

_'Wow, I really have to be more aware otherwise I might end up like some harem protagonist, who misses every obvious sign thrown in his face…' The man mentally facepalmed._

"Let me guess this morning?"

"Yep, my chest's been burning ever since, and it's been a bit of distraction for me the whole day. It even caused me to lose focus when battling that other Sekirei." Uzume exhaled sharply and rubbed her bandaged wound. She flinched as the sharp pain was still present despite the medicine starting to slowly kick in.

"Sorry…"

"Huh?" Uzume gasped as her new Ashikabi bowed his head, "Why are you apologizing, you didn't do anything wrong?"

"Its because of me that you got yourself hurt…again. I wasn't able to notice the signs and…"

"There's no way you could have known that things would go that way, Michael-sama. I kept things a secret so it's my own fault that I ended up this way. Besides, this seems fair, I kept you in the dark while trying to take things slow and getting to know you. I guess I was asking for it when I decided to walk out in the open while still reacting. So, I should be the one to apologize for bringing you into that mess…" Uzume bowed her head in turn, leaving the pair in silence as both apologetically hung their heads, which made Michael start bubble up in frustration.

"Gah…! At this rate, we'll be apologizing to each all day…" Miffed, he went back to scratching at his head, "From the wallet, to your phone, and now this. Lets just accept that we both screwed up and accept each other's apologies just to get this pity party out of the way, cool?"

"Cool." Uzume nodded.

In sync, the two bowed their heads and accepted each other's apologies. This came off as a surprise but a funny one as they busted out laughing at the perfectly timed coincidence. Seconds pass and their laughter died down and was replaced by the informative talk they were having earlier, this time centering around the Orchestrators for the Sekirei being released and the overall machinations of the Sekirei Plan.

"MBI…" Michael folded his arms, looking troubled, "So they're the cause of all of this? Their boss or CEO discovered you guys then raised you to someday fight each other in Tokyo?"

Furrowing her brow, Uzume earnestly nodded, "Again there's a bit more to it than that, but from what I was told, we were mostly being studied before this whole battle royale thing started." At least that's what her tuner and Matsu had told her when she was curious enough to ask them.

"But how the hell did things escalate to you lot fighting each other until one of you remains? Hearing it actually makes this sound ridiculous. I mean could MBI really get away with using the city like this?" Even being acknowledged as the top leading business in world, you gotta at least have some limits or else other successful companies like Disney would basically be ruling the entire business world.

"Considering that they virtually own 90% of the city and have the authority to station a private army to watch over it, yeah, they pretty much can." Uzume almost does a spittake of her coffee as her Ashikabi fell back in his seat. "Erh…Michael-sama…"

"Sorry, I thought I heard some BS then blacked out for a second. Care repeating that for me, please?" Michael coughed.

Blinking a few times in amazement, the Sekirei gasped, "Did you seriously not know, Michael-sama? The army is really hard to miss since the local authorities are still around, but I'm pretty sure that most of the city's property has been established to be MBI's years ago. Hell, you can probably watch the news everyday and get reminded of their ownership."

_'Ugh…gonna have to have a talk about that -sama business later…' Michael thought._

"Y-Yeah, I-I've been busy…" He muttered truthfully as he pulled himself back into his seat but a big part of him knew the true reason for his apathy for the company or news for that matter: It wasn't important or beneficial to **him** , so it might as well not exist when he has other priorities in mind. "Real talk though, I can't fully get behind this free for all thing if you guys are going to be killing each other. It just really isn't right, you know."

Looking worried, Uzume corrected, "We're not really killing each other per say, it's more like termination. We're just fighting each other until the other's Sekirei crest disappears and they stop functioning."

_'Ah, so basically making them comatose.' Now Michael was really starting to dislike where this supposed Plan was going. His displeasure must have been writ on his face because Uzume was starting to shrink under his dismayed gaze._

"Look, I'm not going to abandon ship just because I really disagree with the "rules" for this Plan, and even..." He let out a very long sigh that had even began to dampen Uzume's cheerful spirits, "The wrench it'll throw into my already busy schedule…" He let out another soul draining sigh.

_'It sounds like you really want to jump ship to me…' Uzume sweatdropped._

Taking in a deep, big new breath of air, Michael's withering form took on new life as he shot Uzume his most determined look and thumbs up. "But since I was the one that you chose, I'll have to step up and make sure that you win this thing! I'd rather we avoid fighting and…ugh, terminate the competition, but if that becomes beyond our control then it's what is."

This was really going to be a pain to mesh in with his two jobs. He's been able to craft such a great schedule these past two years to accommodate for his paid overtime at the Pizzeria and there's also the tutoring job on the side…

Shit, he just remembered that his tutoring gig was hanging in the balance this upcoming weekend in Yukari's devious hands. Now he has more stress to fester on and deal with along with the whole Sekirei crap. Just perfect.

_'No have to stay positive.' He didn't falter back when he was job searching and job juggling, so now wasn't going to be the time._

Holding his hand out to Uzume, Michael grinned, "I'm still new to this whole thing so let's seal this with a proper introduction. The name's Michael Hajime, Newbie Ashikabi, looks like we'll be in each other's hands so make yourself at home."

Awkwardly looking at his hand then at him, Uzume leaned in to whisper, "Uh, Michael-sama, we already introduced each other this morning. I mean its fine if you forgot, but…"

Deadpanning, Michael shook his head and urged for her to take his hand, "Y-Yeah, but that was when I was in the dark about all of this. Now that we're equally informed about things, its only fair that we officially this off as equals, yeah?"

Blinking a bit before understanding dawned on her bright face, Uzume laughed, "Oh…oh! Yeah, of course."

"One more thing…" Uzume looked to see her Ashikabi bitterly smiling at her "Enough of the Michael-sama stuff, okay? It makes you sound like my servant or something." She would have voiced her complaints but got cut off by Ashikabi. "If anything, I should be kowtowing to the chick who can cut me up into papier-mache. We're both equals here so lets just address each other as normal, Uzume."

"…I…"

"Is something wrong with that?" He asked, not apprehensively but just curious.

_'I don't know if its faith or luck that brought me to him but with no deniability at all, I'm very grateful that I chose him.' Taking his hand into her own, she relished the warmth that he exuded despite the dark calluses on his knuckles that made the man's skin feel so thick. He really must have a busy schedule, Uzume glowered._

"None~!" Uzume stuck her tongue out, "Then Michael-kun, thank you for inviting me to your abode. I, No. 10, Uzume will forever protect you and be in your care, Ashikabi-sama." Her living arrangements still had to be decided between here and Izumo Inn but to receive an offer to stay with her Ashikabi was one she'd gladly accept.

"Hey, what did I say about the -sama part?" Michael scolded.

"Not to call you Michael-sama, but you didn't say anything about me not calling you, Ashikabi-sama, Ashikabi-sama." Uzume shot him a teasing smirk as the tall man's eyebrow twitched.

"Heh, so you're going to be one of those, eh…?" The type of person who looks for even the smallest of loopholes and vague specifics, he classifies himself as the kind of person to do it to someone else just to annoy them and now apparently his new companion was just as capable. He only hopes that she won't be as ruthless as him.

"One of what, Ashikabi-sama? You really must be specific with your wording, and I do believe you mentioned us being equals so that means I get to pretty much address in any way I choose, Michael-sama~." Scratch that, she's worse than him.

"Isn't calling me that counterintuitive to the whole equals thing though?" He sweatdropped.

"Well as equals, I can use my freedom in any way I choose and that goes without saying in how I choose to address you, Michael-kun, hmhm!"

Crossing his arms and groaning, Michael had on the smallest of smiles, "Looks like I'm going to have a wiseass stuck to the hip from on, huh?"

"I'll stick you like glue from now on!"

"Great…" He shrugged while faking exasperation.

He didn't know why they've been laughing so much through their entire conversation but here wasn't anything wrong with it. The two were getting along despite the hazardous circumstances that await them so it comforted him that there wouldn't be any tension between them. Her kissing him was an exciting experience and feels as though it had effect on their now chipper relationship. He doesn't really know the full extent of what made an Ashikabi so special or the deeper meaning it had for the Sekirei who wing themselves to them beyond just being applicable for the Sekirei Plan, but all of that wouldn't detract from his willingness to support Uzume.

Bu enough about that, he's had his fill of learning the death battle he had stumbled into. Now was the time to relax and worry about what he'll do tomorrow on Friday.

_'Could probably call in to still be injured at the Pizzeria, but that will further cut my pay next week in half and I know that alone won't cover the fees to replace my bike's tires for deliveries. Meaning…' Which left him with no other choice but to dredge up the memory of Yukari's thre-proposal for the weekend, 'I really have to not screw myself over when going out with her…peachy…'_

He broke out of his worries once he heard an odd noise. Grumbling? He looked over to a blushing Uzume, who was pointedly not looking at him while poorly whistling a tune that he vaguely knew…Megalomania?

"Save for some apples and cucumbers, I'm sure that the mountains of pizza that I was given at work will fill you up." He chuckled. If there's one thing that balances out the stupid customers, it was prank callers since any pizza that wasn't delivered would either get thrown out or gladly given to any employees who found themselves lacking in money for groceries and pitifully desperate for food.

"Aw, just pizza? Not any more of that wonder ramen?" Uzume pouted.

"You ate the last batch; I only had enough ingredients left to make just that bowl. Until I'm sent more, we'll have to live off of what I can get." Going over to open the fridge, he pulled out two open boxes of pizza and offered what he had to her, "So which one do you want? Anchovies with pineapple or Eel with squid?" He laughed as the woman gagged from hearing the choices and he would have done the same if he wasn't so desperate as to take the abandoned fake orders made just for the sake of pranking. Besides, hunger makes even the blandest of porridge taste like a five-star meal.

"You don't happen to have with just cheese, do you?" Uzume asked scrunching up her nose.

"Oh, sure." Putting down the two boxes, Michael dirtily chuckled which frightened Uzume once he pulled out a pizza box that released a foul odor.

"Ugh, what reeks? Have you had that in there for years?" Uzume pinched her nose.

"No actually I got it this Monday actually, we're trying out a new special." As he opened the box, Uzume looked on in horror at the sight. The pizza did look really cheesy, but it also had a heavy hint of mold which made the whitish cheese look concerningly blue. "Tadah! Gorgonzola cheese! Enjoy!"

"Uck…god, no!" Uzume closed the box by force, grabbed it and tossed it back into the fridge, "I'd rather just pick off the pineapples from the other one…"

"Your loss." He didn't judge the moldy pizza by its cover and tried it, and it actually tasted phenomenal.

"Congratulations~!"

Just as they began to gather their slices, the pair jumped at the noise of a rather flamboyant voice booming from the living room behind them. Uzume immediately blanched while Michael made his way over to find the source and became surprised when he found that his inactive television was turned on.

"What in the hell…?" However, his television suddenly activating was minor compared to the bespectacled white-haired man in a white suit giving him a welcoming and menacing smile.

"Good Evening, young man! Feel honored for you have been chosen to take part in my illustrious game!"

"I…I…uh…how?" Michael was speechless.

"Hmhmhm, simple my boy, it all stems from you kissing your Sek-!"

"No, how did you hack into my old ass T.V. to project yourself?" Michael exclaimed in amazement.

"Heh, something as trivial as this should be the last thing on your mind, Hajime-san." Michael's eyes widened at that.

"Wait, hold on, how do you know my name?" Michael asked, exasperatedly.

"As the overseer to the game its my business to know everything imaginable about my contestants, Michael Hajime-san…" It was hard to see the man's eyes through his glasses but out of from the screen, the undeniable sounds of rustling could be heard, "Age 21. Born on the seventeenth of February in the humble rural town of Inaba. Entered Teito University at age 18 with astounding marks but willingly dropped out at 19 rather mysteriously… Hm, a mystery, I like that. I would have loved to solve it but like always fate dangles what I've yet to perceive right in front of me… It taunts me so…"

"Wait you have all that information on me? H-How!? Did you get that from the school?" Now he really was concerned with who the stranger on the television was but putting together what he said about a game and the "Sekirei Plan" that Uzume explained, he was able to realize who he was talking to.

"Yes, I did, **I** was the one who gathered this data among other facts about you by myself. Me, I, Minaka the CEO of MBI, absolutely poured my heart and soul into researching you and all of the other newly minted Ashikabi, who've joined my project. Indeed, it took little to no effort to identify you bunch of strangers who recently winged Sekirei all in a few hours!"

That just confirmed things for him, and Michael would have replied to that but the man on screen kept emphasizing his genius for some odd reason.

"Yes, it was I, Minaka all along!" Minaka laughed and only kept going, "It wasn't anyone else besides me, the mastermind!"

"Okay, I-I get it…" Michael held his hands out to placate the man.

"No one but me! Minaka! Would know everything there was about you! Including that weird birthmark on your right buttock!"

"Oh my…" Uzume whispered to herself, blushing while subtly peeking at Michael's behind while the tall man was fuming mad.

"Okay motherfucker that was personal information! The only ones who know that are family! Just who in the hell did you get that from!?" Michael growled.

"Shush! All will be revealed in time, young Padawan." Minaka shushed the embarrassed young adult.

"You ain't no Yoda, asshole now spill the truth now before I phase you off the screen!" By pulling the plug, he wasn't going to actually "vaporize" his only working television.

"Hmhm, a fan of both Star Wars and Star Trek? The mystery around you only deepens, Michael-kun. Damn shame that we couldn't officially meet face to face, but I'm not one to question the peculiarities of fate even when it ends up torturing me!" Minaka laughed, "And also it incidentally giving you your chosen partner."

Letting his anger subside, Michael looked confused, "Wait, what do you mean by officially and fate? You're not making any sens-!"

"Traitorous Number 10, Uzume, please reveal your wretched beautiful visage to the screen please!" Waltzing her way out from the kitchen all abashed, Uzume hid behind Michael, poked her head past his shoulder and gave the mad genius a sheepish wave.

"H-Hi, professor…"

"Ah, traitorous Number 10! We meet again but this time…for the third time." Minaka enthusiastically laughed.

"Does he do that often?" Michael's whisperings were met with a groaning nod from the brunette.

"Its been almost six months since I've seen your treacherous hide, Number 10! You've left the labs and MBI personnel in a critical state that took laborious weeks to repair without a single goodbye. That's even mentioning the setbacks that we had to make up for after you had helped little partner in crime steal a valuable _item._ However, all of that is now water under the bridge! A minor annoyance that didn't bother me at all...not even a _little…_ " Michael winced as the white-haired man droned on, the smile was doing a good job of hiding it, but the way that the CEO's voice pitched deep told him that there was still hard feelings towards Uzume for whatever she did.

"Now…obviously after getting the signal of your winging, I wanted to sic the Disciplinary Squad on you as punishment for being a naughty rule breaker and disappearing off the face of the earth, but seeing you here actually following the rules and finding your fated one…" Both Michael and Uzume paled as once Minaka pulled out the similar wanted poster that Himura had, "Who just so happens to be the tall and mysterious Hajime-san makes for a rather exciting future for the Plan!"

"Did you-!?"

"Save your accusations, Hajime-san, I wasn't the one to put this bounty on your Sekirei and sent the details to most of the Ashikabi in central Tokyo. This is someone else's doing, and I have to say that **who** your Sekirei **treacherously** wronged is one of the likelier victors for Plan. If I were you, I'd figure out ways to avoid getting caught while walking around your neighborhood." Minaka smirked.

"Eh?" Michael blanked at that. They were already in deep shit?

_'Then it is her Ashikabi…' Uzume bit her thumb's nail at the angering memory of her bout with Toyotama, 'His influence was as great as she implied…'_

"Also, before I forget, I'd like to inform you, Hajime-san that MBI personally provides every Sekirei with an official MBI debit card which holds a nearly endless supply of cash to aid unwinged Sekirei while they're still searching for their fated ones." Minaka gleefully set up his subversion, aware of the young man's deficiency of wealth, "But since your Sekirei stole a game changing item, MBI will no longer provide for her that same aid for cash and damaged gear replacement. As of now, you'll be playing my game on Hard mode, I hope that you don't mind…"

Minaka had expected the young man to buckle under the pressure in frustration as he would have expected from the majority of other shaken new Ashikabi, who head the news of the Sekirei Plan, but the only response he received was a calm, indifferent shrug of the shoulders.

"Neat."

"What…?" Minaka croaked out.

"The aid would have been nice to have but not getting it doesn't change my attitude on the matter. I'll just have to keep working and continue figuring out ways to help Uzume, nothing's really changed." He placed a friendly hand on the woman's shoulder and smiled, "Besides, in good faith, I couldn't have brought myself to use Uzume's card even if she did have one since its hers to use." Turning to face Minaka, his expression hardened as the man on the screen's cryptic smile only widened.

"We'll be just fine without your help, right?"

"Y-Yeah…yeah!" Uzume repeated to herself, finding the confidence to agree with her Ashikabi.

"See? I already know the gist of your "Sekirei Plan" so you can skip the bullshit and kindly get the hell out of my television…" He seriously needed to check if things were still working after being pushed to project this high-quality resolution.

"…You truly are a mystery, Hajime-san…" To be stacked with so many odds against him while being so composed that it made Minaka question if it was simply as him already being acclimatized to situations like this. "A mystery I will gladly uncover as you and Number 10 struggle to climb your way up to the zenith of the heavens! Show to me the reason why fate has once again given you the opportunity to parta-!"

"Okay, bye." He pulled the plug to the television and was finally happy to end the rantings of that old man. His talk of fate and trying to dash his hopes of victory with Uzume were getting on his nerves. He was hungry and tired and from the rumbling of his Sekirei's stomach, she could relate.

Turning over his shoulder while spinning the cord in his hand and wearily smiled, "So…"

"Pizza time?" Uzume giggled, not even waiting for him to get up as she rushed into the kitchen.

"…Pizza time." He chuckled and quickly followed her into the kitchen. They didn't need to rehash his vow to support her even if there was a concerning bounty on her, something that he had to look into later. As for now, they joyfully (mostly him) partook in the spread of his leftover pizza and retired to bed soon after as he gave Uzume his bed while he pulled out the extra guest futon to use himself.

Something inside of him felt like she wanted to ask something when he offered up his main bed to her. She looked disappointed when he insisted that she **alone** could have it all to herself until they figured out her living arrangements, which really had him wondering about what might have displeased her.

But like with many worries, the beautiful mistress that was slumber always relieved his worries as he sunk into his mattress and allowed his mind to wander off into a dreamy paradise.

* * *

***BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BE-!***

***THUD!***

Its cord pulled from the electrical socket; the alarm clock was recklessly thrown to the wall. The groggy eyes of the man responsible opened as yawn worked its way out of him. He hated himself for even setting the alarm clock in the first place when he knows he can't even work without his ride. Letting out another huge yawn, he stumbled his way over to the bathroom with his towel in hand.

Having a free schedule meant that he has to either fill it with crap to do or laze around at home like a pig. Glancing at the wheelchair in his room, all of his thoughts became consumed with Chiho. His last visit might have ended hectically but he still felt at fault for not being there earlier when she was awake.

_'If I'm going to see her, I should buy some potted flowers otherwise she'll go and try to rip my ear off like last time.' He chuckled, reaching for the bathroom doorknob._

***Gacha~!***

"Eh?"

"…" Two pairs of brown eyes locked onto each other, one pair wide with surprise at the sudden entry of their Ashikabi, and the other pair trying their damndest not to linger down and look at her large, round breas-god dammit, he was looking!

***Creeeeeeeeeeeak~!* *Slam…***

Doing the only reasonable thing he could come up with, he slowly retreated from the steaming bathroom and closed the door. Flustered, he realizes that the manner he went about doing it only added to the fiddly atmosphere.

Wet footsteps smacking the floor was heard as a shadow peeked under the door.

"Michael-kun…?" Uzume's voice echoed past the wooden barrier between them.

"…" Lips puckering, the young man heaved out a heavy sigh, "Sorry about barging in without knocking…" Waking up mad really makes you unaware of everything around you, including the super powered alien chick who was absent from his bed.

"Its fine, no need to apologize. It is your bathroom so this was naturally going to happen. Guess I should have locked the door, ehe!" Uzume dryly laughed.

"…"

"…"

The divided pair were silent waiting for the other to speak up.

Hearing the sound of water filling the tub, Michael stepped back, "Y-You sound like your about ready to go for a soak, I'll leave you to relax."

"O-Oh no no no! You don't have to go, I wouldn't mind if you wanna-." Uzume stuttered.

Michael's eyes widened, was she propositioning for him to join her?

She too must have realized it as her stuttering only intensified, "N-N-No, not like that, I mean…uh…you don't have to go. You can stay out there and we can talk if that's okay with you…"

"…"

On the other end of the door, Uzume's ear was anxiously pressed to the door awaiting a reply, she was thankful that he couldn't see her face because it was beet red.

"I mean if you don't mind…"

_'Success!' She silently fist pumped as the door rattled from the added pressure of his back against it._

"It'll be easier for us to tell each other our individual plans of action today. Whenever you feel like I'm rambling on for too long don't be afraid to tell me to fuck off, okay?" Uzume closely pressed herself against the door, she could feel his deep voice vibrating it, and not just that, if she listened closely, she could even hear calm breathing. Though it physically separated them, she still felt a sense of closeness with her Ashikabi.

_'It may not be my core reacting anymore so is this feeling of wanting to be closer to him just…' She never actually finished that thought because since was so enamored with her senses, she left her Ashikabi with no answer, worrying him._

"Hey, Uzume? Are you cool in there?"

"I…ah…" She fumbled around thinking of the best response, "Nah, more like steaming hot…"

_'God dammit brain what the hell was that!?' She facepalmed._

"Snrk, okay, I'll take that lame pun as an O.K." Michael snickered, trying his best not to laugh.

_'At least you find it funny big guy…' She puffed out her cheeks._

"I'm going back to the hospital."

"…!" Thoughts of her clash with Toyotama immediately invaded Uzume's mind.

"I'm going to pick up some flowers on the way too for an old friend of mine. Last time I didn't get the chance to say anything to her since it was so late, so I want to make it up to her today." Chiho was his main priority when visiting the place but he was also curious to see what was going down there after his encounter with that green haired Sekirei chick.

_'Her?' Uzume didn't quite know what stirred in her after hearing that. It was definitely concern since her Ashikabi was literally going back into enemy territory, but the other feeling swirling in her felt a bit jaundiced. She couldn't tell how she picked up on it but something about the way he spoke of said friend held a noticeable degree of affection. Shaking it off, she decided to worry about it later and focused on the safety of her Ashikabi._

"Michael-kun, do you mind if I join you?" She asked seriously.

"You wanna come with? What about your plans for the day?" He curiously asked.

"You know, just to watch out for anything that might attack you during the trip there. Also, I just have to meet up and fill in my landlady about what's happened to me these past few days so I'm not in too much of a rush to travel up north." Trust her, she really wasn't looking forward to return to one of the most terrifying people on the planet just staying with her Ashikabi eating weird pizza was like being in actual heaven. She shuddered to imagine the punishment she was in for.

"Oho, so you lived up in the Northern region of the city? It might be a small world but have you ever visited some old candy shop called the Hinansho Shop?"

"You mean the one owned and ran by Hinansho-san and Saki-chan? You know him, Michael-kun?" Uzume gasped.

"Aha! So, you do know them too, it really is a small world after all!" Michael laughed, "I met the old man two years ago just when I moved into the city to attend college. Got lost, found him screaming for help as he was chased by some neighbor's pooch, got rewarded in sweets, and I've been a regular at his shop ever since."

"I-I see…" Uzume muttered to herself, "Did that Hinansho-san really get scared by just some dog? I guess the stories told by Takami-san might have been exaggerated after all…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing, nothing. So, you won't mind if I accompany you?" Uzume asked.

"Of course not, the more the merrier and if that green bitch comes attacking, we'll be ready for her." Michael grinned, "Besides, it's been ages since Chiho had any visitors besides me, so you'll really be doing me a favor by being there to lift her spirits and I'd really appreciate it too."

_'So, her name is Chiho…' Good to know, but Uzume keened in on his expressed "appreciation". Earning brownie points was the go-to way for her to get that much closer to her Ashikabi. It also added the bonus to see who exactly this "Chiho" girl was and know the true extent as to what her relationship with her master was._

"Then you can definitely count on me to be there, hehe!"

With nothing more to add, Michael left Uzume to her bathing before he too would do the same as they prepared to once again venture out to the streets of Tokyo. Preferably wearing less torn-up clothing, Michael put on a long-sleeved white t-shirt under an unbuttoned black dress shirt, blue jeans and red sneakers while Uzume went with the clothing they've the other day along with the addition of Michael's hoodie that he gave to her.

It didn't really mean much to have it any more considering… Well, he knew that having its hood would conceal Uzume's appearance from any people who looked up her wanted poster and because it would be hard to explain why he was wearing a hoodie with newly sowed in slits in the back that would much better allow Uzume to use her veils without tearing the back out every time.

What? He can sow, his grandmother taught him the basics of stitching so he wouldn't have to waste money on replacing clothing.

Their walk to the bus station was disappointingly uneventful, not like they were wanting to be attacked by an Enemy Sekirei but being on high alert expecting something to ambush them really put them on edge. Riding the bus all the way to the east, Michael made his stop a few miles away from the hospital much to Uzume's confusion.

"Um, Michael-kun, what exactly are we-?" She asked as the vehicle zoomed past them as they departed.

"Flowers, remember? I have to get some before we visit." He led the way to a humble nearby flower shop. Since it was so close to the hospital, customers would usually come in to purchase the beautiful arrangements to wish the best for any sick loved ones, which made sure that business was booming.

Greeting the owner, Michael glanced at their more manageable to carry flowers and grabbed two of their potted roses to purchase. He might have shaved a few yen that he'll probably need for replacing his motorcycle's tires, but it would be worth it to see their smiles.

Walking outside with his hands full, Michael walked over to his Sekirei, who leant against the side of building keeping a constant watch of the area.

"Kept you waiting?" He asked.

"…Huh, oh! No of course not! I'm just following you, so I don't mind waiting for a bit." Uzume snapped out of her surveyance and looked at the two pots of roses in his hands, "You got them in pots? Wouldn't it be easier to buy and carry bouquets?" She noted seeing how uncomfortable it was for her Ashikabi to carry each potted plant in each hand.

"It would be easy, but then I'd just be bringing slowly decomposing baby heads to her…"

"…What?" Uzume didn't know how to process that.

"D-Don't ask. You'll find out what I mean when you meet her." He dryly laughed.

Noticing that he was carrying two of the potted plants, Uzume's chest began to be filled with the same unsavory feelings she had felt before. The two of them must be for _her_ , she thought with some bitterness.

"So, you're really going all out with the roses. I'm sure that she'll be happy." She tried her best to force a smile despite her growing enviousness of this "Chiho" girl. She's already aware that she just entered her Ashikabi's life so there was no reason to expect him to be so affectionate with her than the others who've known him for way longer.

"She will be." He smiled and held out one of the potted plants to her.

"You want me to help you carry one?"

"Nah, I want you to do more than that." He hands it to the unexpecting woman and began to walk down the sidewalk, "Keep it."

"Huh?" Uzume's eyes widened in surprise.

"I bought it for you, so yeah. Keep it."

"But why?"

"What, you don't want it?"

"No, I do, really! I really appreciate it, but what brought this on?" Uzume blushed, getting surprised like this from out of nowhere made it hard for her to focus.

"Nothing, I just wanted to buy you one too as a gift. You can plant it or keep it next to your window just as long as you take care of it." Looking at the rose and Uzume, he was able to make a distinct comparison, "You know apart from that white veil gear of yours, red sort of suits you. I mean when your wearing it, not when your face is literally…" He gestured to her reddening face, which only made her more embarrassed and flattered by the compliment.

"T-Thank you, but is that really the only reason why you gave it to me?" She still needed to know. Was this some sign that she was getting to be on the same level as this "Chiho" girl for him?

"Beyond just seeing you happy and smiling that's it." He shrugged and looked to her and leaned closer, "So smile…" Their close proximity was able draw a blushing smile out of her, which satisfied him for going through the trouble of getting her a flower too. He only had to wonder why she was curious about the reason…

"There ya go…" Though their height difference was too great, his taller height allowed him to easily pet her hair underneath the hoodie, "Now let's hurry before we keep Chiho waiting any longer."

"Right…" Walking in stride with him this time, Uzume kept quiet for a few seconds in deep thought before nudging her shoulders into his arm, "Thank you…"

"Don't mention it." He calmly sighed.

_'I'm being silly…' The Sekirei thought, 'I'm making way too many assumptions and we haven't even seen this friend of his. So, reign in the green-eyed monster and chill. Just focus on your flowers…' Her gaze lingered on the uncut roses that he bought for her, her smile widening at the thought. 'Flowers that he bought for you…to make you happy…which was sweet of him to do.' Her blush was spreading down her neck along with the warmth bubbly feeling in her chest. 'Flowers that he also bought for…her…' Even amidst her affectionate thoughts, a fraction of her jealousy still remained._

_'Dammit, be understanding! Don't be selfish…!' She reprimanded herself, unaware of the sweatband wearing blonde woman running towards her._

The two ladies bumped shoulders, resulting Uzume wincing from sudden sharp pain inflicted by her healing spear wound. Not even a second later and the two women were already quick apologized to each other with Uzume being straightforward and curt about it while trying to keep her face hidden under her hood while the other woman was so busy apologizing that she didn't even have the chance to get a good look at her thanks to her rapid bows. Parting, the blondie resumed her running while Michael checked up on Uzume to see if she was fine. Assuaging his worries by addressing it as just a cramp, the pair continued their merry way towards the hospital.

But unbeknownst to them, they just so happened to walk past a jet-black haired man, who was slowly trekking after the rushing girl, who was boisterously shouting at him to keep up. Unlike the woman however, he proved to be more observant of his surroundings and the many faces around them instead of focusing on the big black "74" printed on the back of the energetic blonde's top.

* * *

"My what a surprise, Hajime-san! Two days ago, you were late but today now you're here early! You're really starting to keep this old lady on her toes!" Laughed the kindhearted woman, Sanada-san.

"Yeah, my schedule's been pretty…chaotic these past few days." Michael used the best words to subtly describe what had really been going down. Their arrival to and into Hiyamakai Hospital was relatively easy, which further set Uzume on her guard while Michael tried to repress the heart pumping memories of barely escaping the Enemy Sekirei's staff from crushing his skull into a messy bloody soup.

"Considering the many jobs, you've must have taken to keep paying for Chi-chan's room and board here, I can believe you." Already tapping away at her computer, she was set in creating another daily keycard for him to use until to the side of her vision, Sanada-san noticed the hooded visage of Uzume trying her best not to look out of place and nervous.

"I take it, your friend is here to see Chi-chan, too?" The nurse smiled.

"Definitely." He clapped his hand onto his Sekirei's shoulder, "Her name's Uzume and she'll joining me for the visit."

"I see…" Sanada-san looked up the rose holding Brunette much to the Sekirei's discomfort.

_'Did I do something wrong?' She gulped._

"Ufufufu…" Laughing into her hand, Sanada-san slyly looked to Michael, "Ara Ara, Hajime-san are you going to come out and flaunt your hidden "mistress" to Chi-chan? I know that the truth will set you free, but won't this be a little too liberating for you?"

"Eh?" Uzume was speechless, she didn't to react to the accusation. Her Michael's mistress? Did that mean that the Chiho girl is his first wife? No, up until now her Ashikabi described as a friend, but that too can be a front to hide their true relationship and…and…her face was beet red like a tomato again wasn't it?

"See? It looks like Uzume-chan's overwhelmed by her liberation." Sanada-san teased, "Could this be the start to a viscous love triangle?"

"Sanada-san…please…" Michael groaned, "We don't need another crazy rumor floating around…" He was already getting tired of having the nurses randomly cheer him on, and even spy on him and Chiho whenever he visits. It gets a bit stuffy at times if you catch his meaning.

"Hajime-san when medical professionals mostly deal with patients who check in to wait until their crippling ailments or sadly wait for their time to come, any saucy details no matter how misconstrued will have the nurses buzzing like bees to honey for weeks on end." She gestured to a pair of nurses on the other side of the lobby whispering and looking at the young man and Sekirei. Groaning while Uzume let out a nervous laugh, Sanada-san passed to them their keycards.

"Here." She gently smiled and waved the pair goodbye, "He knows the way so just follow his lead. Its been nice to meet you, Uzume-san." The nurse stuck out her hand.

"L-Likewise." Uzume still had to recover from that surprising dose of teasing but found the nurse pleasant enough to shake hand with. Hm, it must have been her imagination, but was that hints of tattoo she saw under Sanada-san's blue sleeved cardigan? Before leaving he asked the nurse if she noticed anything unusual the day after the night he visited, and shockingly received a no, which left him and Uzume befuddled about the amount of damage caused by Toyotama. This only made things more fishier so they'll have to confirm it themselves by going to floor where everything started.

Saying their goodbyes, the pair walked over to the elevator while the kind nurse continued to wave them off.

"Say hello to Chi-chan for me and remind her that she has treatment later today!"

"We will!" Michael exclaimed and waved back as they entered the elevator and pushed their destination.

"She wasn't too bad." Uzume laughed and shrugged as she examined her keycard.

"Yup, Sanada-san's quite…motherly. Makes me wonder if she has a kid. Really need to ask her that later…" Michael scratched his chin, he's been always preoccupied with hospital payments that he never has the chance to further infer about the nurse's life outside of work. Heck, he doesn't even remember her first name these past few years.

"Anyways, we're going up. You ready?" He asked, but found Uzume looking quite flustered and red as her locked onto her keycard, "What, what is it?" Looking over her shoulder, his jaw hit the floor. He forgot that these keycards need a name to identify the visitors, a full name. And since they didn't Uzume one, Sanada-san kindly gave one for her: "Visitor: Uzume Hajime".

"Sanada-saaaaaaa-!" The man's screams were ceased by the elevator doors closing in front of him and the light laughter of the sly nurse sitting at the front desk followed by many of her rumor hungry colleagues seeking to dig up any juicy deets on the man's new "mistress".

* * *

After an awkward elevator trip up, the pair arrived on the upper floor and were shocked to see the hallway just as pristine and clean as ever, as if none of the damages made were even there. The door that Toyotama kicked Uzume through? It was replaced with an identical match. The crater on the wall that Toyotama made to intimidate Michael? Completely restored.

Seeing it all now, this just further proves what Toyotama said true.

_'Her master really does own this place…' Uzume gulped, they were basically in enemy territory. Focusing on the security cameras, Uzume made doubly sure to keep her face as hidden as possible. It was a definite possibility that they captured her image to make those wanted posters of her._

"I guess whoever cleaned this place up did so before most of the staff could really see it. Man, the guy who owns this place must be rich as hell if they can pull off something like that this fast…" Michael examined the fixed hallway before waving it off. Still unaware of their situation.

Uzume still wasn't sure she should tell her Ashikabi about the dangers that lied in their enemy's territory. She didn't want to further add any stress on him if his already implied multiple jobs and expensive hospital bills were anything to go by. She'd just have to do it when they've finally calmed down.

Leading her to the large door with the plaque: Hidaka Chiho, Michael gave Uzume one last smile before they entered.

"Word of the warning before we enter…" He could already hear the sounds of wrappers crackling, "Prepare yourself." Pushing down the doorknob, the startled sounds of clattering and the bed creaking reached his ears.

_'Prepare myself?' Uzume didn't have much to wonder upon that warning as they've already entered the room. The hospital room was filled with stuffed animals galore, from adorable teddy bears to huggable crocodiles. Plus the flowers, there weren't as many as the stuffed animals, but boy did she see why her Ashikabi was insistent on getting the girl flowers. Finally, her eyes laid upon the lithe woman laying in the middle of it all. On the bed, peacefully resting, she saw the back of the long chestnut haired woman sway with each soothing breath. Thankfully, her hospital gown wasn't like most where the back flap was mostly revealed, if anything it almost resembled a light blue smock._

"Hey, Chi-chan…" Walking over to the girl, Michael rubbed her shoulder and received no response save a drawn out yawn.

"Do you think we came a bit too early?" Uzume wondered aloud.

"…Hm…" The "resting" woman's ear's twitched at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

"…" Silently looking at the bed ridden girl, then to the wheelchair directly placed in the direction of the bed on the side, and finally at the fridge, Michael asked, "Say do you mind checking if there's anything in that fridge's freezer?"

"Sure." Not sure why, she still happily accepted her Ashikabi's request and opened the mini-appliance only to see no signs of any food in the small freezer, "Nope there's nothing her…"

"Hm…" Michael rubbed his chin, then snapped his fingers. "Ah, right, well, I guess I have no choice…" Holding out the remaining potted rose, he offered it to Uzume, "Welp if Chi-tan's still resting then I guess I better give you the other rose, Uzume."

"Huh, but didn't you just give me the o-?" But before Uzume could finish, the "resting" recipient in the bed stirred _awake_ and weakly yawned.

"Fuaaaah…Mikey-chan is that you…fuaaaaaah…"

Turning around, Uzume was able to catch a glimpse of the face to this Chiho-girl, and she had to say that she was freaking _adorable._ Especially with that popsicle stick in her mouth, which she tried to play off as if it wasn't there.

"D-Did I just hear that right? Y-You *COUGH!* have *COUGH!* roses *COUGH!* *COUGH!* for me *COUGH!*?" Though it looked convincing even Uzume could tell those coughs were fake.

"Nope." Michael smirked.

"A-Are you sure?" Chiho's pitiful act corroded away as she blankly stared at the man, who was slowly moving the pot of roses away from her.

"Yep." He snickered.

"Really? Because I can use a few more rose babies to nurture…" Sucking deep of the popsicle stick in her mouth, Chiho pleadingly asked.

"No, no rose babies for greedy popsicle eaters…" Michael stuck his tongue out at the girl and in a explosion of sheets, covers, and multiple popsicle sticks, Chiho was knelt on her bed weakly reaching out for man's roses for her.

"B-But my babies! You actually didn't kill them this time! You kept your promise like last time…GIMME~!" She whined.

"Hahaha, not until you apologize for eating all of the sea salt ice cream!" Michael laughed victoriously.

"No!" Chiho pouted, "Its only fair I get to eat them all since you didn't visit me that day like you promised!"

"But I did visit you while you were…sleeping…" Michael quietly trailed off, sadly she heard that.

"Yeah that doesn't count, Mikey-chan…Now gimme my baby! I wanna plant them with the others!" Chiho's struggles were starting to bear fruit but it wasn't enough. She had to play dirty.

"Ah that wasn't an apology. Try aga-yeeaaagh!" Michael shuddered as his skin crawled from getting licked up the forearm by a cheeky smiling Chiho, "What the hell, Chi-tan, you can't do-!" Crap, he left his guard down, the moment he blink, the pot of roses were already betwixt Chiho's modest bust in loving embrace.

"Teehee~! My baby…" Chiho squeaked happily now aware of her visiting friend and his companion.

"That's just dirty…" Disgusted, Michael wiped off her saliva onto his sleeve.

"Deal with it." Chiho stuck her tongue out at the man, which further enhanced her already precious visage.

Watching the man and woman go off and do their little thing from the sidelines, Uzume could think to herself.

_'I guess I should have prepared myself for this after all…' She had expected the girl to be quite meek and soft-spoken, but instead her expectations were severely subverted, but she did begrudgingly had to agree on one thing._

_'But I can't argue that she's not absolutely adorable…' She giggled to herself as she patiently awaited for the pair to calm down so her Ashikabi could finally address her to her adorable "rival" of love…_

_'Dammit, I really need to figure out how to quell this bit of jealousy welling in me…' Compared to reacting, this feeling was lingering for way longer than she had wanted._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter- Can you feel the Earth trembling beneath you? Our first dance as Sekirei and Ashikabi promptly begins!
> 
> Well, guys, I hoped that you enjoyed this week's chapter because it was mostly exposition and tried to fly past it as much as I could. Also, don't worry about the whole conversation between Michael and Minaka foreshadowing Michael out to be related to some special MBI scientist or anything. The protagonist is just a normal dude from a normal family, well, almost normal family.
> 
> Also, I wanted to write Minaka as something different than the general Evil, Genius Scientist, who's amorally evil because of his curiosity. I'm sure other fanfic writers have written him in more tasteful ways, but I've decided to make him more flamboyant, and a bit socially awkward. He's still the Genius that you all know, but he also has no chill which makes him look a bit silly, which should be the case since he's actually a middle-aged man wearing a cape spouting dramatic spiels about "Destiny" and the "Age of the Gods".
> 
> I also went about a different way when I now plan to write Chiho and how she acts. In the manga/anime, she's always compared to Minato for being kind and sweet, and the comparison to Minato already spells how little character she has above being Uzume's Ashikabi and being just nice. So I decided to make personality more fun, so I've been watching clips of Aerith from the recent FF7 Remake and clips of Michella from Kekkai Sensen to create a nice sickly Genki girl, but this in of itself will be just the surface level of who this version of Chiho is…
> 
> So, what did you think of how I handled Michael and Uzume's growing relationship? I'm still taking things slow since I'm not quite a fan of instant affection being made between two characters who only just meet. Both Michael and Uzume are still feeling each other out since this situation is still new to them. As characters they're very considerate to each other and aren't going to rush things, but this creates a problem since Uzume is eventually expecting SOMETHING in time while Michael's occupied with many things on his mind to properly focus on a single thing.
> 
> An example of that would be him pushing the thought of their kiss to the side as a one time thing, and entirely focusing on helping Uzume win. He's doing good by her for thinking ahead for her victories, but does her the dissatisfaction for not exploring further into the winging kiss and the deeper meaning it has for Uzume and other Sekirei.
> 
> This will become more evident when his next Sekirei, who's more seeking of his attention enters the fray…
> 
> Now before I head off I just want to wish you all a happy and healthy day! I'm Out so Peace Out and have a blessed day!
> 
> Peace!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys, I hoped that you enjoyed this first chapter of my Sekirei fic, it took about 20 pages to write and I just started yesterday. I figured that every Harem fic writer had to at least write one eventually in their life. Look, I don't know if I'm fully competent to juggle so many stories, but like I said before should the mood take me, I'll definitely continue writing fics like Dragon Ball and now this. DxD is a main staple of mine so that's my main priority.
> 
> So what did you guys think of this version of Michael known as Michael Hajime? I tried to make him more mature than Michael Hanamura to avoid scathing some people while also making him a bit more grounded with his raging moments. Now, I'll show you the Harem List based on characters already introduced, and for any readers who tell me to choose their favorite waifu to add to the list, I'll only say that I write for the story's sake instead of favoritism.
> 
> So, don't expect me to choose heavy hitters like Miya or Karasuba to be his Sekirei.
> 
> Now onto the list:
> 
> Hajime's Harem: Uzume, Shiina, Chiho, Yukari, ?, ?, ?, ?
> 
> More will be revealed as the story progresses but remember that this including the question marks will be the total amount of characters to join. Now I haven't planned for the rest since I decided to write further and see how things go, so please respect this for now.
> 
> Also, I know that Shiina's a guy, and yes, I'm aware of implications of adding him to the list and if you have an issue with it than I'm sorry that I couldn't meet your niche guys.
> 
> Well, I'm sorry for being standoffish, but I'm really tired with juggling work and Summer School. Expect a new chapter, I'm not going back on hiatus so be excited! Yay…
> 
> Well, I'm Out so Peace Out and have a lovely day!


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